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BX  9178  .K28  M4 

Keigwin,  A.  Edwin  b.  1869 

The  meaning  of  life 


I 


THE  MEANING  OF  LIFE 
A.  EDWIN  KEIGWIN,  D.D. 


.  THE 

MEANING  OF  LIFE-~^ 

(>.       li 

A.  EDWIJT  KEIGWIN,  D.D.     --4:_H!^ 

PASTOR,  WEST  END  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 
NEW  YORK 

Author  of  ''The  Heart  Side  of  God,''  ''The  New  Patriotism^" 
and  "A  Greater  Christmas"  etCs_ 


NEW  XBI^  YORK 
GEORGE  H.  DORAN  COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,    1922, 
BY   GEORGE    H.    DORAN    COMPANY 


THE    MEANING    OF    LIFE.       II 


PRINTED    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES    OF    AMERICA 


TO 

JESUS  OF  NAZARETH 

WHO  BROUGHT 

LIFE  AND  IMMORTALITY 

INTO  THE  LIGHT 

THIS  VOLUME  IS 
GRATEFULLY  INSCRIBED 


FOREWORD 

This  IS  an  attempt  to  resolve  the  riddle  of  being 
into  get-at-able  form.  It  is  nothing  short  of  an  effort 
to  answer  the  unanswerable,  to  make  the  incredible 
credible;  to  render  the  incomprehensible  understand- 
able; with  the  object  of  inspiring  belief. 

Sermons  are  built  as  houses  are  built.  The  edifice 
is  adapted  to  those  who  are  expected  to  occupy  it. 
A  dim  religious  light  is  intended  for  the  devotional 
mind,  and  finely  chiseled  form  for  the  classical  mind. 
These  sermons  are  for  hungry  and  romantic  hearts. 
So  an  atmosphere  of  hominess  is  sought.  Utility  and 
familiarity,  it  is  hoped,  will  be  found  upon  every  page. 

Living,  as  we  do,  in  an  objective  universe,  we  are 
accustomed  to  think  in  picturesque  terms.  Abstract 
thought  is  a  recoil.  It  is  an  arrow  that  rarely  hits  the 
mark,  but  usually  returns  to  wound  the  mind  that 
shoots  it.  Objective  thinking  may  shoot  neither  so 
far  nor  so  high  but  it  makes  more  bull's-eyes.  It  is 
the  score,  after  all,  that  counts.  The  writers  of  the 
Bible  have  high  rating  for  marksmanship  because  they 
have  thought  and  written  in  parable  and  analogy. 
Uniformly,  inspiration  and  revelation  are  adapted  to 
man's  restricted  conceptions. 

The  questions  here  discussed  have  been  chosen  at 
random  from  "Why's  Why  in  Life,"  a  voluminous 
work  to  be  found  in  the  library  of  every  human  heart. 


viii  Foreword 

So  eager  and  responsive  was  the  hearing  accorded  the 
original  deUvery  of  these  sermons  that  we  are  en- 
couraged to  hope  that  by  giving  them  their  present 
embodiment  many  others  will  be  induced  to  avail  them- 
selves of  a  fuller  enjoyment  of  the  common  treasures 
of  mankind. 

If  these  messages   shall  stir  the  imagination,   the 
souls  of  men  will  follow. 

A.  E.  K. 


CONTENTS 


I    WHAT  IS  LIFE? 17 

Whence  came  it?  Why  is  it?  What  does  it 
look  like?  Is  it  just  one  thing  after  an- 
other ?  Is  it  existence  only  ?  Is  it  biolog- 
ical or  is  it  something  else?  Is  it  cellular 
or  is  it  celestial? 

II    WHAT  IS  SPIRIT? 26 

What  is  its  nature?  What  is  its  exact  func- 
tion? Is  it  spook  or  spokesman?  What 
is  the  significance  of  the  creative  instinct 
of  man?    The  within  and  without  of  life. 

III  "THE  SOUL'S  'I  KNOW  !'"..-.      39 

Is  there  such  a  thing  as  indubitable  knowl- 
edge? Does  knowledge  advance  by  steps 
or  by  leaps  and  bounds?  Is  it  only  the 
amassed  thought  and  experience  of  in- 
numerable minds?  The  overtones  of  life. 
"When  God  has  a  point  to  carry  with  the 
race  He  plants  His  arguments  in  the  in- 
stincts." 

IV  THE  CROWN  RIGHTS  OF  THE  SOUL  .      50 

Morality  wanes  primarily  because  the  mass  of 
men  do  not  understand  what  religion 
really  means.  Forces  operating  in  society 
and  within  the  individual  need  to  be  ex- 
plained. Emerson  said,  ''Every  man  is  a 
divinity  in  disguise,  a  god  playing  the 
fool." 

V  THE  REASON  FOR  REASON   ...   63 

What    is    the    reason?     What    is    its    office? 
How  to  make  the  best  use  of  the  reason, 
ix 


[  Contents 

HAPTER  PAGE 

V    THE  REASON  FOR  REASON  {Continued) 

Common  sense  in  reasoning  quite  uncom- 
mon. Some  reasoning  processes  inexcusa- 
bly bad.    The  ups  and  downs  of  reason. 

VI    WHAT  IS  SIN? 75 

The  natural  history  of  sin.  Tracing  the  mor- 
bid phenomenon  to  its  source.  Isolating 
the  germ  of  the  sin-disease.  Finding  the 
antitoxin.  Symptomatic  remedies  not  ef- 
fective so  long  as  there  is  "the  lost  sense 
of  God." 

VII    THE  GREATEST  DAY  IN  LIFE        .       .      87 

How  to  break  through  to  God.  Face  to  face 
with  the  Infinite.  Visualizing  the  process 
of  communion  with  God.  Spirit-waves 
and  heart-throbs  as  real  as  sound  waves 
and  wireless. 

VIII    THE  SUPREME  ADVENTURE    ...      97 

Let  go  and  let  God.  Get  out  of  the  shallows. 
Doubt  dams  back  truth  upon  the  intel- 
lectual lowlands  where  it  stagnates  and 
breeds  croakers.  Believing  is  seeing.  Per- 
ception is  proof.  Venture  is  victory.  Evi- 
dential value  of  experience. 

IX    THE  CRISIS  OF  AMBITION       ...     107 

What  is  this  flame  within  that  leads  on  at 
once  to  fame  and  failure?  A  statesman 
awakes  to  find  that  his  gold  has  turned  to 
dross.  The  chemistry  of  conscience.  Life 
transformed  in  a  Divine  alembic. 

X    UNFULFILLED  AMBITIONS        ...     120 

We  are  on  our  way  but  we  never  arrive.  Is 
the  game  worth  the  candle?  "I  have 
wasted  my  life,"  she  said.  "I  have 
thrown  away  good  money."  Had  she  ?  Is 
ambition  a  will-o'-the-wisp?  A  success 
clinic. 


Contents  xi 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XI    AN  AWAKENING 129 

How  does  it  feel  to  be  young  these  days? 
What  are  young  people  thinking  about? 
An  earnest  and  perplexed  young  man 
asks:  ''Why  attempt  to  build  heaven  with 
all  hell  tearing  at  your  back,  instead  of 
fighting  hell  with  all  heaven  at  your  back  ? 
Don't  you  clear  away  the  rocks  before 
you  begin  to  build?"  What  is  the  an- 
swer? Is  the  rising  generation  likely  to 
wreck  the  world? 

XII    THROWING  AWAY  HAPPINESS      .       .     137 

What  is  happiness  anyway?  Is  it  something 
to  eat  and  wear?  Does  it  consist  of  sen- 
sual gratification?  Is  it  an  end  in  itself? 
Is  it  an  alternating  sequence  of  thrills 
and  chills? 

XIH    WHOSE  IS  IT? .147 

The  moral  order  is  fool-proof.  No  normal 
person  can  do  wrong  and  feel  right.  This 
is  why  so  many  have  found  their  wealth 
"ill-th"  (as  Ruskin  put  it).  Application 
of  the  philosophy  of  Jesus  would  make 
every  one  richer  and  no  one  poorer.  The 
misuse  of  our  possessions  is  responsible 
for  all  our  miseries. 

XIV    "YOU  CANT  FOOL  GOD"     .       .       .       .157 

Sanctimonious  make-believe  makes  God  tired. 
No  one  can  get  away  with  that  sort  of 
thing.  Talk  is  cheap,  but  it  cuts  no  fig- 
ure with  Him  who  knows  the  secret 
thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart. 

XV  THE  CRY  FROM  THE  DEEP   ...  168 

Sooner  or  later  we  all  awaken  to  a  sense  of 
the  need  of  God.  "I  am  abundantly  able  to 
paddle  my  own  canoe."  Ah,  but  are  you? 
Is  any  one  able?  To  be  insured  by 
Lloyd's  is  of  less  importance  than  to  be 
insured  by  the  Lord. 


xii  Contents 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XVI    LIFE  IN  THE  OPEN 176 

Speak  to  the  earth  and  she  will  teach  thee. 
"The  most  startling  contradictions  you  can 
think  of  express  nature's  best.  She  is 
the  sum  of  all  opposites,  the  success  of  all 
failures,  the  good  of  all  evil."  The  thera- 
peutic value  of  God's  great  out-of-doors. 

XVII    ASSUMPTION— THE    FIRST    STEP    IN 

ACHIEVEMENT 186 

Vision,  venture,  victory  is  the  order  in  all 
progress.  Assumption,  experimentation, 
demonstration,  are  the  mileposts  on  every 
highway  of  life. 

XVIII    ONE  GOD— ONE  FAITH        ....     197 

"In  the  experiences  of  a  year  in  the  Presi- 
dency there  has  come  to  me  no  other  such 
unwelcome  impression  as  the  manifest  re- 
ligious intolerance  which  exists  among 
many  of  cur  citizens."  Warren  G.  Hard- 
ing. 

XIX    WHAT  IS  DEMOCRACY?      ....    210 

O  Democracy !  Democracy !  How  many 
crimes  are  committed  in  thy  name.  There 
is  need  for  a  redefinition  of  pure  democ- 
racy, a  new  understanding  of  this  primi- 
tive urge  of  life.  "Democracy  is  every 
one  building  the  single  life,  not  my  life 
and  others,  not  the  individual  and  the 
state,  but  my  life  bound  up  with  others, 
the  individual  which  is  the  state,  the  state 
which  is  the  individual."  "When  thine  eye 
is  single."  Do  we  know  what  Jesus  meant 
by  this? 

XX    RECONCILING      CHRIST'S      KINGDOM 

IDEA  WITH  DEMOCRATIC  IDEALS  .     219 

How  shall  we  relate  Christianity  with  the 
social  trend  ?  Have  we  caught  up  with  the 
social  teachings  of  Jesus?  Have  we  out- 
grown the  New  Testament? 


Contents  xiii 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXI    WHAT  IS  DEATH? 231 

What  is  the  phenomenon  of  dissolution?  Is 
death  a  reality?  Is  it  the  end?  Or,  is  it 
the  means  to  an  end  ? 

XXII     MATHEMATICAL   CERTAINTY   OF   IM- 
MORTALITY         .242 

New  proofs  of  continued  existence.  The  next 
world  is  found  to  be  inextricably  bound  up 
with  this  world.  Science  nowadays  is 
pointing  the  way  to  the  better  understand- 
ing of  life.  Chemistry  is  infusing  credul- 
ity into  many  things  that  have  seemed  in- 
credible. 

XXIII    WHAT  IS  RESURRECTION?        ...     251 

Are  immortality  and  resurrection  one  and  the 
same?  Is  resurrection  a  miracle?  Who 
said  so  ?  Where  did  the  miracle  idea  come 
from?  Can  spirit  be  entombed?  If  not, 
how  can  spirit  be  raised  from  the  tomb? 
What,  then,  is  raised? 


THE  MEANING  OF  LIFE 


THE  MEANING  OF  LIFE 


I 

WHAT  IS  LIFE? 

''And  He  showed  me  a  pure  river  of  water  of 
life,  clear  as  crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the 
throne  of  God.''     Revelation  22:1. 

The  world  has  been  ringing  with  praise  of  a  certain 
Professor  Michelson,  who  has  accomplished  an  as- 
tronomical feat.  He  has  ascertained  the  size  of  the 
sun  in  the  constellation  of  Orion.  And  he  announces 
some  astonishing  facts;  the  diameter  of  this  sun  is 
thirty  million  miles ;  it  would  take  twenty-seven  million 
suns  like  ours  to  make  the  Orion  sun;  an  aeroplane 
traveling  at  the  rate  of  a  hundred  miles  an  hour  in 
one  thousand  years  might  circumnavigate  it — possibly. 

Now  here  is  the  point !  How  did  Michelson  accom- 
plish this  feat  ?  Thus ;  with  highest-powered  telescope 
he  brought  his  eye  near  enough  to  this  sun  to  get  the 
hands  of  his  imagination  upon  it.  And  then,  no  in- 
strument known  to  man  being  adequate,  he  had  re- 
course to  algebra.  He  made  something  equal  some- 
thing else  (a,  b,  x  and  y)  and  thus  he  achieved  his 
purpose.  No  measure  was  long  enough  to  encircle  the 
luminary.  There  were  not  enough  numerals  in  all  the 
world  for  a  surveyor's  chain.     The  human  intellect 

17 


18  The  Meaning  of  Life 

was  too  small  to  grasp  such  dimensions.  So  Professor 
Michelson  resorted  to  symbolism — the  symbolism  of 
mathematics. 

The  subject  we  are  to  consider  is  of  vaster  propor- 
tion than  any  subject  of  astronomy  forasmuch  as  life 
is  greater  than  its  greatest  single  phase.  Standing 
out  yonder  under  the  starlit  dome  of  an  oriental  sky 
Job  appraised  things  correctly,  "Hast  thou  measured 
Orion?  No?  Well,  I  am  bigger  than  Orion."  So 
the  answer  to  the  question  "What  is  Life?"  is  "No- 
body knows  or  ever  will."  Nevertheless,  we  are  not 
baffled.  We  may  at  least  approximate  knowledge  by 
adopting  the  method  of  the  astronomer. 

The  Revelation  is  nothing  if  not  holy  algebra.  It 
is  a  book  of  extraordinary  symbols  whereby  John 
measured  the  immeasurable.  Some  readers  regard  it 
as  a  book  of  pictures  only.  It  is  more.  It  is  less  an 
aid  to  the  eye  than  it  is  an  aid  to  reason.  It  was  not 
designed  to  give  man  a  picture  of  that  which  eye  hath 
not  seen  and  ear  hath  not  heard,  but  it  was  intended  to 
empower  reason  to  grasp  something  bigger  than  rea- 
son. It  is  a  book  of  higher  mathematics.  The  author, 
John,  out  yonder  on  Patmos,  with  life  virtually  spent, 
the  last  of  an  immortal  line,  soliloquized  thus :  "What 
does  it  all  mean,  this  that  I  have  been  preaching,  this 
life  of  which  Jesus  Christ  was  the  supreme  exemplifi- 
cation?" And  inspiration  gave  answer,  "And  He 
showed  me  a  pure  river  of  the  water  of  Hfe,  clear  as 
crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God." 

Consigning  our  thought  to  the  inviting  drift  of 
these  crystal  waters  let  us  see  how  far  toward  a  clearer 


What  Is  Life?  19 

understanding  of  the  meaning  of  life  the  river  may 
bear  us. 


Life  is  the  liquid  essence  of  God, — "proceeding  out 
of  the  throne  of  God."  This  river  of  being,  flowing 
through  your  Hfe  and  through  mine,  is  God's  fluid 
Personahty.  It  had  its  rise  away  back  in  the  throne 
of  the  Infinite  Creator  of  planets  and  plants  and  all 
other  life  and  it  has  increased  the  fullness  of  its  flow 
as  it  has  come  down  the  ages  to  man.  Some  there  are 
who  give  Life  such  a  meager  channel  that  it  is  scarcely 
more  than  a  silver  thread  wending  a  tortuous  way  amid 
obstacles  of  one  kind  or  another.  But  every  full  life 
is  in  very  truth  the  liquid  essence  of  Almighty  God. 

Time  was  when  we  were  satisfied  to  regard  life  in  a 
very  narrow  way.  We  believed  that  the  evolutionary 
theory  accounted  for  everything.  We  know  better 
now.  That  theory  was  a  bold  and  helpful  guess.  But, 
it  did  not  answer  a  tithe  of  our  questions.  We  were 
content  to  believe  that  human  life  proceeded  out  of  a 
mass  of  jelly,  and  that,  by  and  by,  it  became  a  monkey 
and  by  and  by  a  man.  I  say  we  were  once  satisfied 
with  that  interpretation,  but  life  has  become  a  good 
deal  bigger.  We  found  upon  examination  that  our 
theory  did  not  hold  good  in  all  respects  for  the  simple 
reason  that  nowhere  in  the  universe  does  life  become 
something  other  than  what  it  was  at  the  beginning. 
Jelly  stays  jelly.  Monkeys  remain  monkeys.  In  a 
word  the  biologist  has  discovered  this  remarkable 
thing  about  all  life;  it  is  nowhere  universal  and  gen- 
eral, but  everywhere  and  in  every  case  it  is  individual 
and  personal.     The  evolutionary  theory,  as  modified 


20  The  Meaning  of  Life 

and  restated  is  therefore  this,  "Not,  indeed,  that  man  is 
descended  from  any  Hving  ape  or  monkey :  it  is  rather 
that  he  and  they  have  sprung  from  a  common  ancestry 
— are  branches  of  the  same  stem — Life.  There  is  no 
doubt  of  man's  apartness  from  the  rest  of  creation." 
Thus  we  see  how  fumbhng  inquisitiveness  is  slowly 
groping  its  way  through  tangled  undergrowth  toward 
the  crystal  waters  of  John's  inspired  river.  Human 
life  is  different  from  everything  in  the  physical  uni- 
verse for  the  very  reason  that  it  took  its  rise  in  the 
Throne.  And,  it  is  the  fluid  essence  of  self-knowing, 
self -determining  Sovereignty. 

The  most  that  you  or  I  can  be  is  a  channel  for  the 
God-life.  The  body  may  be  a  channel,  so  likewise  the 
brain,  one's  influence,  one's  business.  We  have  the 
utmost  freedom.  We  may  obstruct  the  channel.  We 
may  say,  'This  life  Divine  shall  not  flow  through  me, 
through  my  business.  It  isn't  good  for  business.  It 
makes  business  unprofitable.  It  makes  one  a  prig. 
It  may  flow  through  my  home,  through  my  children 
and  my  wife,  through  my  private  devotions,  but  not 
through  my  business."  We  may  do  anything  we  please 
with  the  channel  but  we  cannot  touch  the  great  thing 
itself  because  life  is  fluid  and  the  moment  we  dam 
it  back  it  goeth  elsewhere.  "He  showed  me  a  river 
proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God." 

Again,  life  is  liquid  continuity.  Weismann  traced 
human  life  to  the  banks  of  "a  continuous  stream  of 
germ-plasm."  John  traced  it  to  the  banks  of  a  con- 
tinuous stream  of  Spirit-plasm.     We  are  viewing  im- 


What  Is  Life?  21 

mortal  waters.  They  wash  the  shores  of  time  and 
eternity.  They  are  ''pure  and  clear"  with  the  Per- 
sonahty  "of  God  and  of  the  Lamb"  (His  Son).  They 
seek  outlet  through  the  earthly  media  of  the  natural 
and  the  national.  'Trees,  leaves,  healing,  nations"  is 
the  human  side  of  the  picture  of  enduring  Hfe. 

A  particular  river  remains  on  the  map  so  long  as  it 
continues  to  flow.  An  individual  lives  on  and  on  so 
long  as  the  Divine  Life  has  its  way.  When  a  river 
dries  up  the  map  is  revised.  When  an  individual 
denies  water-way,  the  Divine  purpose  seeks  another 
channel.  Men  may  come  and  men  may  go — but  Life? 
Life  sweeps  on  in  ceaseless  flow,  for  an  unchanging 
nature  is  behind  it.  To  deny  life  is  to  lose  it.  Such 
is  the  tale  of  life  as  unfolded  by  a  seer. 

We  read  the  selfsame  story  in  Biology.  Two 
cells  within  the  body  conspire  to  preserve  and  perpet- 
uate each  form  of  life — unicell  and  multicell.  And 
both  are  life  cells.  The  unicell  is  a  destructive  agent 
that  rids  the  earth  of  such  bodies  as  are  no  longer 
channels  for  Hfe;  and  the  multicell  is  the  constructive 
agent  which  builds  new  channels  or  enlarges  old  ones. 
So  long  as  the  body  yields  glad  submission  to  the 
multicell  the  unicell  lies  dormant  and  harmless.  But 
when  the  body  is  no  longer  useful,  the  unicell  goes 
into  action  and  begins  to  pull  it  down  that  the  barrier 
may  be  removed  from  the  course  of  onflowing  life. 
And,  they  tell  us  that  if  it  were  not  for  the  beneficent 
office  of  the  destructive  unicell  the  earth  would  be 
piled  up  with  dead  bodies  as  high  as  the  Andes  Moun- 
tains.    Because  God  has  put  these  two  cells  in  every 


22  The  Meaning  of  Life 

organism,  there  is  always  room  for  life  and  its  ever 
enlarging  physical  expression. 

The  early  Hebrews  entertained  the  theory  that  an  in- 
destructible life  cell  is  located  somewhere  in  the  end  of 
man's  spine,  that  this  cell  survives  the  dissolution  of 
the  body  and  that  from  this  single  cell  another,  more 
glorious  body  is  to  be  evolved  at  the  resurrection,  iden- 
tical with  the  old  one  and  recognizable.  Is  it  more 
difficult  to  accept  this  theory  than  many  another  with 
no  greater  evidence  to  support  it?  Here,  for  in- 
stance, is  an  almost  incredible  tale  narrated  by  an 
eminent  authority.  It  is  the  story  of  the  life  cell  of 
the  whale,  so  very  small  that  one  million,  five  hundred 
thousand  of  them  may  comfortably  repose  upon  the 
head  of  a  pin,^  each  preserving  its  separate  individual 
life  and  every  cell  possessing  in  itself  power  to  build 
a  body  weighing  more  than  three  thousand  men. 
When  a  scientific  man  comes  forward  with  such  a 
revelation  and  expects  us  to  believe  it,  as  we  do,  I 
see  no  reason  why  I  am  not  justified  in  accepting 
the  theory  of  the  Hebrews  as  a  rough  outline  of  per- 
sonal continuity — the  more  so  since  I  believe  with 
John,  that  human  life  has  its  origin  in  the  personality 
of  God  and  therefore  partakes  of  His  nature. 

Once  more.  Life  is  liquid  prophecy.  John  ob- 
serves that  this  river  flows  through  a  holy  city.  Is 
not  this  logical?  Great  rivers  foreshadow  great  civi- 
lizations. The  Mississippi,  the  Danube,  the  Nile,  the 
Euphrates  were  and  are  prophetic  of  great  social  and 
economic  developments.  The  greatest  river  of  all,  the 
river   of  life,   would  naturally  give  promise   of  the 


What  Is  Life?  23 

greatest  civilization  of  all,  the  civilization  of  the  King- 
dom of  God.  Life  is  liquid  prophecy.  What  the  life 
of  God  was  in  the  ages  before  the  stars  were  lighted 
or  the  earth  formed,  that  human  life  will  be  in  the 
ages  to  come.    Jesus  was  the  earnest  of  this. 

A  river,  a  pure  river,  a  crystal  river  of  the  water  of 
life,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God,  flowing 
through  your  life  and  through  my  life,  and  through 
us  into  other  lives  and  through  a  multiform  political, 
corporate  and  social  order  finally  emptying  into  the 
future  life  with  all  its  glad  fulfillment — such  is  John's^ 
splendid  answer  to  man's  perennial  question,  *'What 
is  life?'*  Where  will  you  find  another  answer  that 
approaches  this?  The  liquid  essence  of  God,  liquid 
continuity,  liquid  prophecy, — such  is  life  in  its  totality^ 

When  John  chose  this  symbol  he  probably  had  in 
mind  the  Nile.  The  world's  greatest  river  is  the  Nile- 
No  river  has  been  more  discussed.  No  river  has  so 
enkindled  imagination.  From  equatorial  head  waters, 
even  yet  indefinitely  determined,  it  flows  northward 
through  the  land  of  the  Pharaohs  to  the  ''great  sea"  of 
Scripture,  a  distance  of  some  four  thousand  miles. 
Much  of  this  tortuous  journey  is  through  desert  waste, 
the  redemption  of  which  seems  to  be  its  particular 
mission.  Once  every  year  this  magic  river  gathers  up 
huge  arms  full  of  rich  black  soil  from  the  tropics  and 
hastening  forward  with  floodtide  stride  spreads  pre- 
cious fertility  across  parched  and  withered  Egypt. 
What  clouds  and  rain  are  to  other  lands,  that  the  Nile 
is  to  this  land.  The  ancients  regarded  the  river  with 
reverence.     An  annual  overflow  in  a  rainless  region 


24  The  Meaning  of  Life 

was  to  them  mysterious,  even  miraculous.  To  this  day 
the  native  adjusts  his  whole  life  to  the  expected  flood- 
tide,  so  constructing  his  home  that  even  the  annual 
house-cleaning  is  left  to  the  freshets  which,  beginning 
in  June,  attain  a  maximum  height  of  forty  feet  and  do 
not  subside  until  September.  In  Egypt  every  year  is 
a  fresh  beginning,  every  Fall  is  the  land  made  new. 

As  the  Nile  is  liquid  history  so  the  River  of  Life 
is  liquid  prophecy.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  knowledge 
of  the  former  gave  color  to  the  texture  of  John's  vi- 
sion. Probably  he  had  heard  the  river  much  discussed, 
its  mysterious  origin,  its  beneficent  mission,  its  vast 
accomplishments.  These  marvels  upon  the  natural 
plain  made  it  easy  for  him  to  comprehend  similar 
marvels  upon  the  spiritual  plain.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
the  Spiritual  River  is  assuredly  as  much  a  reality  as 
the  natural  river.  The  one  flows  down  to  the  present 
out  of  a  past  utterly  unknown,  the  other  flows  out- 
ward into  the  future  from  a  Divine  purpose  absolutely 
unknowable,  except  as  it  is  unfolded  to  us  in  the 
inarch  of  human  events.  However,  of  one  thing 
we  are  absolutely  sure.  The  mission  of  the  river 
of  life  is  redemptive.  When  at  the  flioodtide  it,  too, 
brings  from  heavenly  tropics  the  rich  soil  of  ancient 
prophecy,  apostolic  faith  and  precious  personal  ac- 
quaintance with  God,  and  spreads  it  with  generous 
hand  upon  soul-dead  nations  and  individuals,  it  trans- 
forms a  vast  domain  of  death  into  a  kingdom  of  life, 
beauty  and  fruitfulness.  It  makes  possible  a  fresh 
beginning  in  a  world  made  new. 

As  the  Egyptians  adjust  their  Hves  to  the  Nile  so 


What  Is  Life?  25 

must  the  world  adjust  its  spirit,  laws  and  practice  to 
the  River  of  Life,  remembering  always  that  the  life 
we  are  living,  took  its  rise  in  the  throne  of  God,  and 
that  it  has  a  redemptive  mission.  The  man  who  won't 
be  redeemed  and  the  civilization  that  won't  be  redeemed 
will  find,  sooner  or  later,  that  the  river  has  passed  on, 
leaving  them  stranded,  high  and  dry.  Some  day 
there  will  come  forth  a  generation  of  fathers,  of 
mothers,  of  statesmen,  of  professors,  of  teachers  who 
will  say  "Almighty  God,  here's  your  channel  in  my 
brain,  in  my  heart,  in  my  body,  in  my  business,  in  our 
homes,  in  our  politics,  in  our  text-books.  Here's 
your  channel.  Come,  River,  come,  with  all  thy  life- 
giving  power !  Come,  flow  into  me  and  flow  through 
me  into  the  future  and  bear  me  with  you  upon  the 
bosom  of  a  life  everlasting." 

What  is  life?  Life  is  the  liquid  essence  of  God. 
Life  is  liquid  continuity.     Life  is  liquid  prophecy. 

Here  is  a  simple,  definite,  and  suflicient  picture. 
Who  can  say  what  is  hidden  in  the  unfathomable 
depths  of  this  river?  For  one  I  am  quite  satisfied  to 
commit  myself  to  the  swelling  flood  of  tender  emo- 
tion awakened  by  the  symbol. 

"And  He  showed  me  a  clear  river  of  the  water  of 
life,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God,  and  of  the 
Lamb."     Are  you  willing  to  become  a  channel? 


II 

WHAT  IS  SPIRIT? 

*'The  body  apart  from  the  spirit  is  dead.'' 
James  JJ^:26. 

It  is  impossible  to  separate  a  man's  spirit  from 
his  body  without  taking  his  Hfe.  This  is  so  obvious 
as  to  need  no  further  comment.  Then  why  will  so 
many  persist  in  separating  body  and  spirit  in  their 
thinking?  If  such  attempts  are  hazardous  in  physi- 
ological experimentations  are  they  less  so  in  metaphys- 
ical theorizings  ?  Reason  hath  a  cold  hand  and  a  dead 
heart  when  unilluminated  by  spirit.  And  spirit  is 
spooky  when  unbalanced  by  reason.  Let  not  man  put 
asunder  what  God  hath  joined  together  in  the  holy 
wedlock  of  actuality. 

It  is  high  time  to  ask  some  straight-out  questions, 
in  view  of  the  prevaihng  trend  of  thinking.  What  is 
matter?  What  is  spirit?  What  is  the  relation  be- 
tween matter  and  spirit?  Are  they  antagonistic  or 
are  they  comrades?  Are  they  irreconcilable,  or  are 
they  interdependent  and  inseparable  ?  The  answer  is : 
they  are  intersphered  to  such  a  degree  that  it  is  quite 
impossible  to  separate  the  one  from  the  other  without 
destroying  a  full-orbed  life. 

What,  then,  is  spirit  ?  In  a  word,  spirit  is  the  crea- 
tive and  unifying  energy  in  man.     "The  body  apart 

26 


What  Is  Spirit?  27 

from  the  spirit  is  dead."  Of  course  it  is.  Spirit  is 
the  architect  and  the  builder  of  your  body  and  mine. 
Spirit  is  the  voHtion  lying  back  of  all  evolution. 
Spirit  is  the  directorial  dominant  of  the  whole  physical 
organism. 

The  body  apart  from  the  spirit  is  dead.  Says  Prin- 
cipal Fairbairn,  the  philosopher,  "In  the  strongest  sense 
matter  has  no  being  whatever  apart  from  spirit."  The 
body  subsists  upon  spirit.  Likewise,,  to  all  practical 
intents,  the  spirit  apart  from  the  body  is  dead.*  There 
is  no  such  thing  as  naked  spirit.  Wherever  the  spirit 
is  observable  it  either  possesses  or  is  putting  on  a  body. 
The  Bible  distinctly  tells  us  that  even  when  spirit  steps 
out  of  this  body  into  the  grave  it  steps  into  another 
body.  How  or  when  this  is  we  know  not.  Neverthe- 
less, to  him  who  walks  by  faith  there  need  be  no  fear 
of  stepping  over  the  brink  of  death  into  disembodied 
nothingness.  We  are  abundantly  assured  that  spirit 
is  not  to  be  unclothed  but  clothed  upon,  that  death  may 
be  swallowed  up  in  victory.  I  repeat,  the  spirit  with- 
out the  body  is  dead — until  it  finds  another  body  in 
which  to  live  and  have  its  being. 

In  an  Ingersoll  Foundation  lecture  on  "Life  Ever- 
lasting," delivered  at  Harvard,  John  Fisk  makes  this 
unqualified  assertion:  ^'Survival  of  conscious  spirit 
apart  from  material  conditions  is  unsupported  by  any 
facts  that  we  have  ever  been  able  to  assemble.  Not 
only  so,  but  it  is  utterly  and  hopelessly  inconceiv- 
able." 

*  See  "What  Is  Death?"  pp.  231  ff. 


28  The  Meaning  of  Life 

Of  course,  it  is.  Because  physical  man  conceives 
of  everything  in  corporeal  pictures.  The  relation  be- 
tween body  and  spirit  is  very  intimate  and  interdepend- 
ent. Spirit  is  in  the  body  not  as  a  hand  is  in  the 
glove;  that  is  to  say,  as  one  thing  is  in  an  entirely 
different  thing;  Spirit  is  in  the  body  as  the  germ  is 
in  the  seed,  the  determining,  the  qualifying,  the  vital 
element  thereof. 

Why  have  I  turned  on  these  scientific  sidelights? 
Because  so  many  good  and  earnest  people  unquestion- 
ably practice  a  species  of  vivisection.  Here  stands  one 
group  declaring,  **A11  is  spirit  and  spirit  is  all."  Which 
is  sheer  nonsense.  Those  who  entertain  such  views 
usually  become  pronounced  mystics  and  eschew  all 
practical  reality.  Here  is  another  group  proclaiming 
with  equal  positiveness,  "All  is  matter  and  matter  is 
all."  This  too,  is  nonsense.  These  latter  folks  de- 
generate into  rank  materialists,  eschewing  all  spiritual 
reality.  So  the  mystic  is  eternally  hostile  to  matter, 
and  the  materialist  is  eternally  hostile  to  spirit.  But 
God  is  hostile  to  neither,  and  Jesus  is  the  composite  of 
both. 

Because  of  this  sort  of  tangential  thinking  we  are 
forever  butting  our  poor  heads  against  the  stars,  liter- 
ally braining  ourselves.  No  mind  can  successfully 
negotiate  the  crowded  thoroughfare  of  the  universe 
unless  it  observes  the  traffic  regulations.  The  mind  of 
Jesus  punctiliously  observed  them,  leaving  us  an  ex- 
ample that  we  should  follow  in  His  steps. 

On  every  hand  folks  are  being  bowled  over  like 


What  Is  Spirit?  29 

tenpins.  Nations  are  down,  business  is  flat,  the  church 
is  on  its  back,  individuals  are  laid  out  cold.  The 
power  of  darkness  has  scored  one  strike  after  another 
in  recent  years  because  men  everlastingly  persist  trying 
to  stand  upon  a  single  hypothesis.  This  requires  gifts 
of  equilibrium  so  extraordinary  that  almost  no  mind 
possesses  them.  God  created  man  bipedal.  If  our 
intellectual  processes  ever  attain  the  goal  it  will  not  be 
until  we  try  to  get  there  with  both  feet. 

The  jarring  discords  within  us  are  due  to  the  pres- 
ence of  too  many  soloists.  We  flatter  this  or  that 
faculty  until  it  gets  puffed  up  with  pride.  Thence- 
forth it  sticks  up  like  a  sore  thumb  and  is  as  sensitive. 
It  is  dangerous  to  become  enamored  of  a  single  at- 
tribute of  being.  It  demoralizes  the  organization  and 
wrecks  the  harmony.  What  is  needed  most  within  us 
and  throughout  the  world  is  a  chorus.  The  distin- 
guishing characteristic  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  is  its 
utilization  of  the  paradoxical  element  of  life.  Relig- 
ion is  not  mathematics  and  life  is  seldom  logical. 

Life  is  illogical,  broadly  speaking.  So  is  sane 
thinking.  As  a  rule  sanity  declines  as  thinking  be- 
comes more  and  more  wedded  to  a  single  idea;  until, 
at  the  gates  of  an  asylum  it  expires.  Alienists  testify 
that  the  insane  mind  is  the  most  logical.  From  which 
I  conclude  that  to  be  sanely  orthodox  one  has  got  to 
keep  on  good  terms  w^ith  the  paradox,  the  chief  of 
which  is  body  and  spirit.  These  are  the  zenith  and 
the  nadir  of  our  intellectual  orbit. 

I  have  been  reading  a  work,  just  off  the  press,  by 
a  distinguished  French  biologist,  who  likens  physical 


30  The  Meaning  of  Life 

individuality  to  a  populous  city.  Each  city  is  distin- 
guished by  a  thousand  traits  from  a  neighboring  city. 
Its  elements  are  independent  and  autonomous.  Each 
has  in  itself  the  springs  of  life,  which  it  neither  bor- 
rows from  its  neighbor  nor  draws  from  the  community. 
All  the  inhabitants  have  a  definite  life,  and  even  breathe 
and  are  nourished  after  the  same  manner,  possessing 
all  the  same  general  human  faculties.  But  each  has, 
over  and  above,  its  own  trade,  industry,  aptitudes  and 
talents  by  which  he  contributes  to  the  social  life,  and 
in  turn  depends  upon  it.  The  picture  thus  far  drawn 
IS  that  of  an  animal  colony  pure  and  simple. 

But,  there  is  something  more,  the  most  essential  fea- 
ture must  now  be  supplied  to  make  the  picture  com- 
plete. This  is — a  centralized  direction,  which  alone  is 
able  first  to  unite  and  then  to  maintain,  to  order,  and 
to  direct  the  human  traits  for  the  common  welfare. 
This  Governor  General  is  Spirit. 

A  perfectly  beautiful  conception  of  being  this  is. 
And  I  take  this  to  be  the  conception  in  our  text,  *The 
body  apart  from  the  spirit  is  dead."  Spirit  without  a 
body  is  a  king  without  a  kingdom ;  body  without  spirit 
is  a  kingdom  in  a  state  of  anarchy.  So  much,  in 
answer  to  the  question.  What  is  spirit?  Spirit  is 
creative  and  unifying  energy  in  man. 

May  I  now  lift  your  thought  a  little  higher,  by  ask- 
ing another  question.  What  is  Holy  Spirit  ?  Again, 
in  a  word.  Holy  Spirit  is  the  creative  and  unifying 
energy  in  God.  What  your  spirit  is  doing  within 
your  body,  keeping  the  cells,  the  life  together,  and 
preventing  the  organism  from  breaking  up  in  anarchy^ 


What  Is  Spirit^  31 

that  God's  Holy  Spirit  is  doing  within  the  universe, 
and  the  whole  human  race. 

Many  of  us  have  an  inadequate,  if  not  a  very  wrong 
idea  of  Holy  Spirit.  Holy  Spirit,  as  commonly  con- 
ceived, is  either  something  too  sacred  for  every-day 
utility,  or  it  is  something  too  spooky  to  be  grasped  by 
an  earthbound  mind.  Neither  view  is  correct.  What 
is  the  meaning  of  "holy"?  Does  it  mean  ''set  apart" 
in  the  sense  that  a  gulf  is  fixed  between  God's  Spirit 
and  man's  spirit?  Does  "holy"  mean  "other  worldly" 
in  the  sense  that  only  as  a  matter  of  supreme  con- 
descension upon  the  part  of  God  has  Holy  Spirit  any 
place  in  an  unholy  world?  I  think  not.  "Holy" 
means  wholeness.  It  means  completeness.  It  means 
unity.  It  means  unimpairedness.  This  is  holiness. 
So  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  spirit  of  wholeness,  the  spirit 
of  sound  mind  and  sound  being,  the  spirit  of  oneness. 

Holy  Spirit  is  not  a  New  Testament  doctrine,  as 
some  have  thought.  It  is  an  Old  Testament  doctrine. 
That  phrase  was  coined  by  Synagogue  theologians 
hundreds  of  years  before  the  advent  of  Jesus.  It  was 
a  doctrine,  divinely  inspired  as  we  believe,  by  which 
the  Hebrews  explained  the  prophetic  gifts  possessed 
by  certain  men  whereby  they  were  able  to  penetrate  the 
mysteries  of  Providence  and  foretell  in  detail  coming 
events.  The  doctrine  expressed  the  thought  that 
somehow  or  other  prophets  were  on  terms  of  peculiar 
intimacy  with  God,  energized  by  whose  Spirit  they 
were  able  to  think  God's  thoughts  after  Him,  and 
anticipate  His  plans. 

With  the  passing  of  the  last  of  the  prophets  the 


32  The  Meaning  of  Life 

doctrine  fell  into  disuse.  Three  hundred  years  of 
silence  intervened  between  Old  and  New  Testament, 
during  which  time  there  was  no  open  vision.  Men 
called  into  the  darkness,  ''Why?  Where?  When?" 
But  there  was  no  answering  voice.  They  knocked 
at  the  gate  of  the  Infinite,  but  the  knob  turned  not. 
Mankind  appeared  to  be  a  homeless  orphan  upon  the 
Father's  doorstep.  Then  came  Jesus!  At  once 
Heaven's  portal  opened,  as  angels  of  revelation  and 
regeneration  poured  out,  hands  laden  with  prophetic 
gifts  such  as  the  world  had  never  known  before. 
They  wended  their  way  to  Bethlehem,  to  Nazareth, 
to  the  wilderness,  to  the  Jordan.  You  know  the  rest. 
Rejoicing  was  everywhere,  for  the  prophets  of  Israel 
were  returned  again. 

Then  came  that  question  of  Jesus,  addressed  to  His 
disciples.  ''Have  ye  received  the  Holy  Spirit  since 
ye  believed?"  "We  didn't  know  there  was  a  Holy 
Spirit."  Three  hundred  years  of  silence  had  obliter- 
ated the  memory  of  the  doctrine.  So  Jesus  revived 
the  doctrinCj^  giving  it  a  new  setting.  This  Holy 
Spirit  was  no  longer  to  be  regarded,  as  formerly, 
God's  peculiar  gift  to  prophets  alone.  It  was  to  be 
the  possession  of  every  man,  woman  and  child.  At 
this  announcement  Jesus  breathed  upon  the  disciples 
and  sent  them  forth  to  be  the  progenitors  of  a  spirit- 
filled  race. 

Then  came  Pentecost,  when  drawn  together  by  the 
Spirit,  given  tongues  by  the  Spirit,  and  unified  by  the 
Spirit  those  many  men  of  many  minds  from  as  many 
quarters  of  the  world  found  common  cause  and  ground 
for  one  body  of  faith,  one  commonwealth  of  God. 


What  Is  Spirit?  33 

If  the  Holy  Spirit  were  to  come  upon  the  vast  audi- 
ence before  me  our  faces  would  not  wear  the  cold  and 
forbidding  aspect  of  spiritual  aristocracy,  but  rather 
the  radiant  smile  of  God's  spiritual  democracy.  We 
might  still  think  differently,  but  we  would  defer  to 
each  other's  opinion.  Those  sharper  lines  of  differ- 
ence between  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  capitalist  and 
the  laborer,  the  foreigner  and  the  American,  would  be 
at  once  softened  into  the  Kingdom  landscape.  Verily, 
verily,  the  unifying  energy  of  God  is  even  now  at 
work  in  state,  in  church,  in  race,  in  home,  in  individual 
heart.  This  I  believe  with  all  my  soul  and  mind — 
don't  you? 

Some  fine  day  the  Holy  Spirit  will  have  His  way  in 
industry  and  will  completely  revolutionize  it.  There 
will  no  longer  be  strikes,  lock-outs,  misunderstandings 
and  mis-carriages  of  justice.  The  creative  and  unify- 
ing energy  of  the  Infinite  will  straighten  out  the  kinks 
in  the  spirit  of  human  infinitesimals. 

The  superlative  temptation,  in  every  life  before  me, 
is  identically  that  experienced  by  Jesus.  The  Spirit 
within  Jesus  led  Him  into  the  wilderness,  there  to  be 
tried  by  the  spirit  of  disunion.  The  unholy  spirit 
sought,  by  one  means  after  another,  to  isolate  the  sev- 
eral members  of  Christ's  tri-unity.  First  he  sought  to 
isolate  the  physical.  ''You  are  hungry,  you  are  fam- 
ished; you  need  not  be;  all  power  is  within  you; 
command  that  these  stones  be  made  bread."  Holy 
Spirit  triumphed  as  Jesus  said,  'T  am  more  than 
physical.  IMan  shall  not  live  by  bread  alone."  Un- 
holy spirit  tried  another  tack.      Conducting  Him  to 


34  The  Meaning  of  Life 

the  holy  city  and  setting  Him  on  a  pinnacle  of  the 
temple  he  endeavored  to  isolate  the  spiritual  nature  by 
this  temptation :  ''You  are  the  spirit-child  of  God,  the 
only  Begotten  and  well-beloved  Son  of  God.  Your 
father  has  promised  to  give  His  angels  charge  con- 
cerning you  lest  at  any  time  you  dash  your  foot  against 
a  stone.  Come,  cast  yourself  down."  Again  the 
Spirit  of  Wholeness  triumphed  as  Jesus  replied:  "I 
am  one  man,  I  am  one  complete  whole  in  my  Father. 
You  shall  not  isolate  my  spiritual  nature  or  tempt  me 
to  commit  suicide  even  in  the  name  of  faith."  Yet 
again,  the  Spirit  of  Disunion  tried  It — ^this  time  his 
purpose  was  to  isolate  Christ's  vocational  nature. 
"You  are  here  on  earth  to  establish  a  kingdom.  Why 
go  to  Gethsemane  or  to  the  cross?  Why  not  be  sen- 
sible? Only  acknowledge  my  sovereignty  in  the 
realm  of  the  physical  and  I  will  become  your  vassal  in 
the  realm  of  the  spiritual.''  And  Jesus  said,  "I  deny 
your  sovereignty  anywhere.  This  is  God's  world, 
man  is  God's  child.  So  these  shall  be  one  in  us.  Get 
thee  behind  me,  Satan,  for  thou  understandest  not 
the  things  that  be  of  God."  'Twas  thus  that  Jesus 
preserved  the  unity  of  His  nature,  physical,  spiritual, 
vocational ;  and  angels  came  and  ministered  unto  Htm. 
And  the  New  Testament  narrative  goes  on  to  say 
'Then  went  Jesus  forth  from  the  wilderness  full  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  power." 

Of  course,  He  did,  and  you  can,  too,  my  tempted 
brother,  my  tempted  sister.  If  you  have  fallen  under 
the  spell  of  the  tempter's  machinations,  I  am  able  to 
say  to  you,  as  a  minister  of  God,  that  It  is  not  be- 
cause you  are  any  worse  than  other  people,  but  it  is 


What  Is  Spirit?  35 

because  you  are  permitting  the  unholy  spirit  to  isolate 
some  part  of  a  nature  that  God  intends  shall  be  a 
complete  whole.  You  have  allowed  your  physical 
nature  to  be  isolated,  from  your  spiritual,  or  your 
spiritual  from  your  physical,  or  your  vocational  from 
your  visionful. 

Out  of  my  early  ministry  I  recall  a  very  extraordin- 
ary experience  which  throws  a  flood  of  light  upon  the 
text.  A  man  of  my  congregation  was  dramatically 
converted.  He  was  at  his  daily  work  when  like  a 
lightning  flash  there  came  over  him  an  unutterable 
sense  of  sin.  No  minister,  no  song,  no  religious  at- 
mosphere, yet  he  stood  In  the  presence  of  God  more 
truly  than  he  ever  had  In  church.  He  dropped  his 
tools  and  rushing  out  into  the  yard  he  fell  upon  his 
knees  beside  a  broken  box  crying  like  a  child.  Godly 
men  followed.  They  mingled  their  tears  of  joy  with 
his  tears  of  anguish.  Slowly  they  led  him  into  the 
light  and  liberty  of  the  Saviour's  presence. 

For  a  month  or  so  he  was  about  the  happiest  man 
you  ever  saw.  He  testified  at  every  prayer  meeting. 
Then,  one  day  he  changed.  Clouds  appeared  upon  his 
face.  I  could  not  understand  It.  When  I  pressed 
him  for  the  reason  he  unburdened  himself.  He  had 
been  told  that  he  had  not  received  the  Holy  Ghost. 

'Why !"  said  I.  ''Where  have  you  gotten  this  notion  ? 
How  do  you  suppose  you  came  by  such  a  dramatic 
conversion  apart  from  the  Holy  Ghost?  Man,  Is  it 
possible  that  you  doubt  the  Holy  Ghost  who  has  laid 
hands  upon  you  with  such  violence  ?  Wake  up !  You 
ought  to  be  on  your  knees  thanking  God  for  what  He 


36  The  Meaning  of  Life 

has  done  for  you.  Not  one  man  in  a  thousand  has 
had  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  and  the  ringing  challenge 
that  you  have  had." 

But  he  persisted,  ''No,  I  haven't  the  Holy  Ghost." 

Said  I,  "What  makes  you  think  so?" 

It  then  came  out  that  he  had  been  attending  Holiness 
Meetings,  where  certain  sanctimonious  faddists  had 
gotten  him  all  tangled  up  in  a  skein  of  yarn  that  he 
could  not  untangle.  He  had  been  told  that  to  find 
peace  he  would  have  to  go  to  a  Methodist  altar. 

"Well,  go,"  said  I.  "By  all  means,  go  to-night. 
There's  a  revival  on  across  the  street.  I'll  go  too, 
and  pray  for  you  all  evening." 

"No,  that  I  won't  do!  I  have  always  said  that  I 
would  never  be  converted  at  a  Methodist  altar.  I 
don't  believe  in  that  kind  of  fuss." 

"You  had  about  as  fussy  a  conversion  as  ever  I 
heard  of.  You  are  the  last  man  to  throw  stones  at 
fuss.  Since  you  have  erected  the  altar  service  as  a 
barrier  between  yourself  and  God,  no  one  can  pull  it 
dow^n  but  you.  Go  do  the  thing  you  have  said  you 
w^ill  never  do  and  you  will  doubtless  find  peace." 

He  took  my  advice  and  it  came  out  as  I  had  fore- 
seen. 

The  end  was  not  yet — for  within  a  month  the  man 
was  at  it  again.  This  time  introspection  was  com- 
pHcated  with  illness,  making  the  case  exceedingly  dis- 
tressing. An  operation  was  advised.  In  the  good 
Providence  of  God  this  proved  a  blessing  in  disguise, 
for  he  fell  into  the  hands  of  a  godly  surgeon,  who 
saw  at  once  that  back  of  the  physical  there  was  some- 
thing wrong.     The  day  before  the  operation  he  said 


What  Is  Spirit?  37 

to  his  patient,  ^'Your  life  is  in  God's  hands.  Are 
you  at  peace  with  Him?"  This  question  led  my 
friend  to  unbosom  himself,  whereupon  the  surgeon 
administered  the  following  homily :  ''Whenever  I  treat 
a  patient  I  endeavor  to  keep  the  various  parts  of  his 
being  together.  I  want  his  mind,  his  will,  his  body, 
his  confidence  with  me.  I  must  treat  the  whole  man. 
I  cannot  successfully  treat  anatomy  apart  from  mind 
and  spirit.  If  I  am  to  heal  you  I  must  have  full  access 
to  all  the  fountains  of  life.  It  was  God  who  taught 
me  this  secret  of  effectual  surgery.  I  think  your 
trouble  is  this :  You  have  not  permitted  God  to  treat 
the  whole  man.  You  are  expecting  Him  to  do  His 
work  piecemeal.  You  want  Him  to  minister  to  the 
spiritual  life  apart  from  the  physical.  I  don't  be- 
lieve He  will  do  it  that  way." 

My  friend  was  so  impressed  by  this  line  of  thought 

that  he  said,  *'Dr.  ,  can  you  recommend  a  book 

dealing  with  this  matter  as  you  have,  which  I  may  read 
while  I  am  in  the  hospital?" 

''Well,  there  are  many  books  upon  the  subject  but 
on  the  whole  I  think  the  best  is  the  Gospel  of  John. 
I  would  prescribe  for  you  daily  readings  in  John,  the 
gospel  of  the  spirit-filled  life,  the  standard  work  of 
all  life  literature.  And  remember,  as  you  read  to  read 
with  the  whole  man,  for  you  will  be  reading  the  story 
of  a  whole  man.  John's  story  is  of  a  man  who  pos- 
sessed the  Holy  Spirit  in  fullest  measure,  yet  it  was 
perfectly  balanced  with  physical  things." 

The  prescription  was  taken,  and  my  friend  entered 
upon  a  joyous  Christian  experience.  I  wish  you  might 
have  heard  his  first  testimony  in  our  prayer  meeting 


38  The  Meaning  of  Life 

when  he  returned.  He  declared  that  it  was  worth  all 
the  suffering  to  have  come  under  the  wonderful  sur- 
geon who  made  it  so  clear  that  one  cannot  receive  the 
fullness  of  the  Holy  Spirit  unless  one  surrenders  to 
the  Spirit  body,  mind,  soul,  and  all. 

Spirit  is  the  personal  urge  both  in  God  and  in  man. 
This  urge  which  comes  out  of  a  past  unknowable  and 
moves  us  onward  toward  a  future  unknown  is  the 
creative  and  unifying  energy  of  God  working  out 
His  perfect  will  in  man.  Spirit  and  Holy  Spirit  con- 
stitute an  interlocking  directorate.  Together  they 
determine  the  progress  of  personality  and  the  profits 
of  piety.  Wherefore  give  thyself  up  to  Him  and  His 
Spirit  will  witness  with  thy  spirit  that  thou  art  a  son 
of  God. 


Ill 

"THE  SOUL'S  'I  KNOW!'" 
"I  know  that  my  redeemer  livethf  Job  19:25. 

This  outburst  of  faith  occurs  in  an  immortal  epic 
of  the  inner  life.  Its  author  is  at  great  pains  to  make 
it  quite  clear  that  the  glorious  affirmation  springs  not 
from  the  mind,  but  from  the  soul.  With  rare  literary 
genius  he  eliminates  every  other  possible  source.  One 
after  another  of  the  so-called  supports  of  faith  are 
skillfully  knocked  away.  Theology  is  discarded. 
Discussion  is  waved  aside.  Every  contributing  circum- 
stance of  human  wellbeing  is  removed.  And  faith  is 
stripped  to  the  nude  that  it  may  stand  forth  in  simple 
comeliness. 

The  story  opens  with  a  charming  picture  of  piety 
domiciled  with  prosperity.  Logically  these  should 
ever  dwell  together.  "Godliness  is  profitable  with  all.** 
In  the  last  analysis  an  unprofitable  era  is  found  to  be 
an  ungodly  era.  So  quite  appropriately  the  tale  of 
this  godly  man  opens  amid  scenes  of  prosperity  and 
piety  and  domestic  felicity. 

But  at  once  the  author  introduces  an  element  of 
cynicism.  It  is  personified  in  Satan,  who  observes, 
"Doth  this  pious  man  serve  God  for  naught  ?  Not  he. 
He  is  pious  only  because  he  is  prosperous.  He  is  good 
because  it  pays  to  be  good.  Despoiled  of  his  prosper- 
ity his  piety  will  evaporate." 

39 


40  The  Meaning  of  Life 

There  follows  a  series  of  calamities,  skillfully  in- 
troduced, one  after  another  and  with  thrilling  effect. 
Here  sits  prosperous  Job  at  the  city  gate  easily  the 
leading  citizen,  honored  and  beloved  by  all.  Mes- 
sengers come  running  with  evil  tidings.  "Your  prop- 
erty is  gone;  your  houses  are  in  ruins;  your  flocks 
are  scattered;  your  children  are  dead.  Only  your  w^ife 
survives."  And  then,  to  complete  this  cataclysm  of 
misery  the  poor  man  is  robbed  of  health.  Truly  it 
never  rains  but  it  pours. 

In  his  extremity  Job  turns  to  friends,  who  are 
speechless.  They  can  bring  no  comfort  for  such 
exquisite  suffering.  Or,  when  they  do  speak,  it  is 
only  to  add  misery  to  misery  by  the  suggestion  that  it 
must  be  his  own  fault.  He  endeavors  to  think  his 
way  out,  without  success.  He  falls  back  upon  con- 
ventional religion,  and  orthodoxy  has  nothing  to  offer 
him.  Finally,  when  every  prop  is  gone,  when  the 
mind  ceases  to  function,  when  philosophy  and  discus- 
sion no  longer  avail,  and  there  is  left  no  ray  of  light 
to  lend  hope  of  deliverance,  he  rouses  himself  for 
one  last  and  supreme  endeavor  and  by  sheer  will- 
power passes  out  of  an  atmosphere  of  negation  into 
the  full  certainty  of  the  soul's  "I  know !" 

How  hath  the  soul  such  a  faculty  for  knowing? 
Whence  cometh  such  a  clear  shining  of  things  unseen? 
It  comes  of  intuition ;  the  only  way  true  faith  can  ever 
come.  Faith  is  the  gift  of  God.  It  is  the  soul's 
birthright.  It  is  instinct  within  man's  very  being. 
The  human  soul,  like  the  Divine  soul,  is  intensely 
social.     When  God  breathed  upon  him  and  man  be- 


"The  Soul's  7  Know!' "  41 

came  a  living  soul  the  door  to  the  Father's  house 
swung  wide  open,  way  back  against  the  wall,  afford- 
ing free  access  forever  between  parent  and  child. 

A  saying  much  in  vogue  is  this :  "Personality  is 
power."  Which,  of  course,  every  one  knows  to  be 
true.  But  is  it  no  more?  Is  not  personality  percep- 
tion— first  of  all?  The  first  blush  of  dawning  person- 
ality is  self-consciousness.  It  would  seem  then  that 
the  first  blush  of  faith  should  logically  be  God-con- 
sciousness. We  know  ourselves  to  be,  by  intuition, 
and  for  one  I  can  testify  that  we  know  our  God  in 
like  manner.  Since  we  look  upon  our  own  reality 
with  unclouded  vision,  directly  and  without  the  aid 
of  any  sensual  medium  whatsoever,  it  follows  that  we 
may,  with  equal  facility,  look  upon  the  larger  reality — 
God-consciousness.  Immediate  awareness  of  self  fore- 
tokens immediate  awareness  of  God.  Which  theorem 
is  proved  experimentally  and  conclusively  by  Job's  "I 
know !" 

If  it  is  true,  as  science  now  affirms,  that  personality 
is  the  greatest  thing  in  the  universe,  and  if  it  is  true 
that  God  is  the  greatest  personality,  then  it  obviously 
follows  that  there  must  be  some  instinctive  basis  of 
commerce  between  the  twain.  To  reason  otherwise 
would  be  to  fly  in  the  face  of  the  time-honored  axiom 
**things  equal  to  the  same  thing  are  equal  to  each 
other." 

The  outstanding  characteristic  of  personality  is 
fellowship,  intercourse,  reciprocal  exchange.  The 
supreme  worth  of  personality  is  commerce  of  ideas 
and    emotions.     Which   commerce   is   not   contingent 


42  The  Meaning  of  Life 

upon  some  form  of  human  ship-subsidy,  thanks  be! 
When  we  are  unable  to  persuade  the  congress  of 
human  faculties,  sitting  in  state  within  us,  to  unite 
upon  some  form  of  subsidy,  what  of  it?  There  are 
other  bottoms — and  safer,  in  which  the  soul  may  em- 
bark, to  which  our  most  treasured  possessions  may  be 
committed  with  safety  and  in  which  God  may  send  to 
us  His  best  gift — faith,  together  with  all  the  riches  of 
His  grace. 

Job's  faith  was  strictly  personal.  Heaven^s  gifts 
to  him  were  all  personal  consignments.  A  fact  clearly 
brought  out  in  the  poem  by  the  Voice  in  the  cloud. 
The  instant  the  distracted  seeker  uttered  his  *T  know" 
God  answered,  "And  so  do  I."  In  each  new  phase  of 
faith  "we  know  as  we  are  known"  and  per  contra. 
Believe  me,  my  hearer,  for  I  lie  not,  God  will  speak 
to  you  in  some  audible  tone,  once  you  break  the  fetters 
of  reservation,  ambiguity  and  uncertainty;  once  your 
religion  ceases  to  be  a  hesitation  and  a  compromise. 
The  truth  is,  if  one  may  diagnose  another's  case,  you 
are  permitting  intuition  to  be  lured  away  by  mere 
inventiveness.  This  has  excited  curiosity  but  has 
not  imparted  insight — as  you  will  freely  admit.  Faith 
is  not  satisfying  one's  curiosity.  Faith  is  insight. 
And,  insight  is  intuitive.  So,  try  the  upper  trail. 
Try  it.     Tis  all  I  ask. 

It  is  as  needless,  as  it  is  futile,  to  attempt  to  prove 
God  to  anybody.  Long  since,  I  gave  that  up.  Time 
was  when  I   carried  about  a  vest-pocket  edition  of 


"The  Soul's  7  Know!' "  43 

theology.  But  never  again !  I  would  as  soon  attempt 
to  prove  to  you  that  you  exist  this  minute.  When  a 
thing  is  obvious  why  prove  it?  If  God  is  not  per- 
mitted to  approve  Himself  to  your  confidence  and 
love,  surely  no  mere  man  will  be  permitted  to  do  so. 
"No  one  is  able  to  come  to  me  unless  he  is  drawn  by 
the  Father  who  sent  Me,"  said  Jesus.  Personality 
is  nowhere  to  be  found  in  second-hand  shops.  Relig- 
ion is  the  personal  approach  of  a  personal  God  to  the 
personal  man,  and  vice  versa.  To  expedite  this  is 
the  function  of  faith. 

I  am  little  interested  in  intellectual  aspects  of  faith. 
The  older  I  grow  the  less  is  my  interest.  I  have 
noticed  that  whenever  faith  gets  up  into  the  mind  it 
languishes.  For  this  reason  I  resist  every  impulse  of 
faith  to  climb  the  attic  ladder.  Faith  doesn't  have  to 
climb.  It  may  mount  upon  wings  as  an  eagle.  The 
weakness  of  advancing  age  is  this;  we  want  to  wrap 
everything  up  in  intellectual  hypothesis  and  put  it 
away  on  some  shelf.  This  may  be  good  housekeeping, 
but  it  certainly  is  not  living.  Better  far  that  faith 
should  be  worn  threadbare  than  that  it  should  smell 
musty  or  become  moth-eaten  through  disuse. 

Nothing  has  ever  been  discovered  by  the  intellect 
thus  far  that  was  not  already  known  to  intuition. 
The  intellect  always  takes  up  the  trail  of  a  more  ven- 
turesome pioneering  faculty.  It  does  the  surveying, 
the  organizing,  the  occupying — and  not  infrequently 
the  boasting.  Kipling  put  this  thought  into  the  mouth 
of  his  ''Explorer"  thus: 


44  The  Meaning  of  Life 

"Well  I  know  who'll  take  the  credit — all  the  clever  chaps 

that  followed — 
Came  a  dozen  men  together — never  knew  my  desert  fears ; 
Tracked  me  by  the  camps  I'd  quitted,  used  the  water  holes 

I'd  hollowed, 
They'll  go  back  and  do  the  talking.     They'll  be  called  the 

Pioneers !" 

Can  you  point  to  any  science,  to  any  discovery,  to 
any  invention  that  was  not  known  to  intuition  long 
before  it  was  beaten  into  form  upon  the  anvil  of 
rational  thinking?  I  know  of  none.  Faith  hath  ever 
been  the  outstation  of  demonstrable  truth. 

Just  when  did  faith  dawn  for  Job?  The  answer  is 
interesting  and  helpful.  When  he  was  at  his  wnt's  end, 
when  he  had  exhausted  every  other  means  of  knowing, 
then  faith  came.  When  he  discarded  all  second-hand 
faith;  when  he  ceased  beating  his  brains  against  the 
universe ;  when  he  gave  it  up  and  looked  up ;  then,  and 
not  until  then,  did  assurance  dawn  upon  his  soul. 

Picture  the  group.  Here  sits  personified  adversity 
upon  his  ash  pile,  sore  all  over.  Grouped  about  him 
are  "miserable  comforters," — Eliphaz,  Zophar,  Bildad 
and  Elihu.  They  reason  thus :  "You  must  have  done 
something  amiss  or  you  would  not  be  in  this  sad  plight. 
God  certainly  would  not  permit  a  truly  righteous  man 
to  come  to  such  a  pass.  God  is  good  and  just.  The 
universe  declares  it;  reason  and  religion  support  this 
view.  Right  your  own  life  and  all  will  be  right." 
The  only  friend  who  had  a  mite  of  vision  or  extended 
a  morsel  of  consolation  was  young  Elihu — and  this  is 
not  saying  much.     So  they  argued  back  and  forth,  day 


"The  Soul's  7  Know!' "  45 

after  day,  until  the  mind  of  the  sufferer  was  driven  to 
distraction,  when  by  a  single  verbal  gesture  Job  swept 
them  all  aside  and  did  what  every  one  must  do  in  the 
presence  of  the  formidable  facts  of  life — simply  trust. 
Taking  his  courage  in  both  hands  he  made  one  blind 
plunge  into  infinity.  As  he  did  so  he  gave  voice  to  a 
majestic  and  daring  hope.  He  threw  in  the  switch, 
so  to  speak,  and  on  came  the  light,  as  he  exclaimed, 
*T  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth." 

Such  are  exactly  the  circumstances  in  which  most 
men  come  into  possession  of  a  personal  knowledge 
of  God.  Some  awful  extremity  provokes  the  crisis  of 
confession  and  God  does  the  rest.  When  you  are  at 
your  wit's  end,  when  you  can  reason  no  further,  when 
every  theory  breaks  down,  and  the  strongest  arguments 
go  for  naught,  then  look  and  listen  for  God  is  nigh — 
* 'Nearer  than  hands  and  feet,  closer  to  us  than  breath- 
ing." The  lofty  surges  of  religious  certainty  are  pro- 
duced from  the  deepest  desperation. 

We  greatly  magnify  the  difficulties  of  faith.  Faith 
is,  in  truth,  the  simplest  thing  in  the  world.  Aye,  it 
is  as  simple  as  breathing;  as  simple  as  loving.  The 
way  to  love  is  to  let  go.  So  the  way  to  know  God  is 
to  let  go.  The  way  to  breathe  is  to  just  breathe, 
and  the  way  to  believe  is  to  believe.  Doubt  is  intel- 
lectual; faith  is  affectional.  "As  a  man  thinketh  in 
his  heart"  so  are  his  beliefs. 

Faith  would  be  as  simple  for  us  as  it  was  for  the 
hero  of  the  poem  but  for  the  fact  that  we  deliberately 
load  it  down  with  the  very  incumbrances  that  Job 
eliminated.     Truly,  experience  is  a  book  that  all  men 


46  The  Meaning  of  Lije 

write  but  few  men  read.  Think  you  the  time  will 
ever  come  when  any  one  will  write  more  cogently 
than  this  man  of  Uz,  of  the  nearness  of  God  and  the 
ease  with  which  a  soul  may  reach  out  and  touch  Him  ? 
Why  not,  then,  profit  by  the  diary  of  a  great  soul? 
Job  lamented  the  thoughtlessness  of  those  who  before 
his  day  had  been  over  the  road  to  God  leaving  no 
records  to  guide  him  in  his  later  quest.  The  expressed 
burden  of  his  heart  is  that  succeeding  generations  shall 
not  be  thus  handicapped.  Invoking,  as  it  were,  the 
unborn  age  of  stenography,  he  exclaims,  "Oh,  that  my 
words  were  now  written !  Oh,  that  they  were  printed 
in  a  book !  That  they  were  graven  with  iron  pen  and 
lead  in  the  rock  forever.  For  I  know  that  my  Re- 
deemer liveth." 

Faith  is  primarily  a  working  knowledge.  It  is  get- 
ting the  hang  of  things.  One  acquires  the  religious 
faculty  much  as  one  learned  to  ride  a  bicycle,  for  ex- 
ample, in  the  days  of  yore.  When  I  became  the  proud 
possessor  of  my  first  bike — a  54-inch  Expert  Colum- 
bia, a  friend  attempted  to  teach  me  to  ride,  by  the 
rule  of  reason.  Day  after  day  he  trotted  along  beside 
me  breathing  heavily  and  perspiring  profusely  as  he 
held  the  machine  in  his  steadying  grasp  and  reiterated 
the  rule  of  equilibrium.  Either  I  had  a  poor  teacher 
or  he  had  a  poor  pupil.  Apparently  I  was  making 
little  or  no  progress.  At  last  growing  impatient  I  ex- 
claimed, "I'll  never  learn  this  way.  I  see  very  clearly 
that  I've  got  to  master  this  nickel-plated  broncho  for 
myself.  Let  me  have  the  thing.  Sit  you  down  and 
rest  a  while."     Grasping  the  handle  bars  and  resolutely 


"The  Soul's  7  Know!' "  47 

setting  one  foot  upon  a  step  scarcely  larger  than  a 
period,  I  contrived  to  execute  the  usual  hop-hop  and 
balance,  hop-hop  and  balance,  until  gathering  courage 
I  swung  aloft  into  the  saddle.  Whereupon  rules  and 
regulations  were  forgotten  and  intuition  came  into 
play.  With  a  thrill  of  delight  I  realized  that  I  was 
actually  riding,  rather  wabbly  to  be  sure,  but  riding 
nevertheless,  without  thought  of  why  or  how.  I  had 
gotten  the  hang  of  the  thing,  thanks,  as  I  later  learned, 
to  a  small  bubble  hidden  away  in  the  Inner  ear  and 
popularly  called  "the  spirit-level.''  But  I  had  yet 
another  important  lesson  to  be  mastered.  A  strange 
propensity  for  running  into  things  had  to  be  overcome. 
A  failing  thus  explained  by  my  instructor,  "You  hit  it 
because  your  eyes  are  on  it.  Never  look  at  the  thing 
you  wish  to  avoid.  Keep  your  eyes  on  the  track, 
you  would  have  your  wheel  take.  You  can  safely 
ride  the  narrowest  path  if  you  keep  your  eyes  on  tlie 
path.  When  you  look  at  obstacles  you  are  looking 
for  trouble." 

There  are  a  lot  of  folks  who  are  continually  running 
into  religious  difficulties.  They  are  forever  hitting 
the  very  things  they  wish  to  avoid.  I  commend  to 
them  my  friend's  advice.  When  riding  a  hobby  or 
following  the  logic  of  some  plausible  author  keep  your 
eye  upon  Him  who  said,  "I  am  the  way."  They  ride 
safely  who  ride  thus.  Hidden  away  somewhere  within 
the  soul  is  the  Spirit-level.  Trust  it.  In  threading 
the  narrow  defiles  of  religious  certitude  spiritual  equilib- 
rium is  more  necessary  than  mental  poise — which  is 
not  to  belittle  the  latter  by  any  means. 


48  The  Meaning  of  Life 

He  who  will  may  ride  the  universe.  The  trouble 
is  we  let  the  universe  ride  us.  We  are  God's  children. 
Our  Father  has  given  us  dominion  over  everything. 
The  mechanism  of  thinking  has  been  given  to  facilitate 
our  doing  His  will  and  finding  access  to  His  presence. 
When  we  take  headers  the  reason  is  obvious.  We 
have  not  mastered  the  machine. 

He  was  a  retired  merchant.  He  had  arrived  at  life's 
common  goal,  success  and  affluence.  But  he  was  a 
long  way  from  God — as  he  thought.  This  gave  him 
no  little  concern.  Often,  in  the  quiet  of  his  well  ap- 
pointed library,  he  inquired  long  and  earnestly  of  the 
way  to  God.  And  as  often  I  told  him,  "You  are  al- 
ready God's  child  and  have  only  to  assume  a  filial 
attitude  and  claim  your  inheritance."  At  which  he 
invariably  dragged  me  up  one  of  the  many  blind  alleys 
that  he  was  wont  to  explore.  I  doubt  if  the  Angel 
Gabriel  could  have  negotiated  some  of  the  intellectual 
difficulties  he  put  up  to  me.     His  case  seemed  hopeless. 

Then,  one  evening,  (maid's  day  out),  he  descended 
to  the  cellar  for  coal.  As  he  set  the  scuttle  down  be- 
side the  bin,  the  light  from  the  flickering  candle  fell 
upon  a  discarded  song  sHp  used  in  our  evening  service. 
*T  know  that  My  Redeemer  Liveth"  ran  the  caption 
upon  which  his  eye  fell.  Picking  up  the  slip  he  then 
and  there  slowly  read  Charles  Wesley's  hymn  and  put 
it  in  his  pocket.  When  all  the  family  had  retired,  he 
sat  long  into  the  night  with  the  soiled  song  slip  upon 
his  knee.  What  at  first  seemed  incredible  at  last  be- 
came a  blessed  reality.  How,  he  never  was  able  to 
explain.     That  reality  it  was  there  could  be  no  doubt. 


"The  Soul's  7  Know!' "  49 

And  when  at  seventy-five  years  of  age  he  was  baptized 
and  received  into  our  household  of  faith  he  voiced  a 
regret  thus :  "And  to  think,  Dominie,  that  these  many 
years  I  have  been  searching  for  my  Heavenly  Father 
when  all  the  while  He  has  been  standing  beside  me 
patiently  waiting  for  me  to  reach  out  my  hand  and 
touch  Him.  How  much  time  and  effort  I  have  wasted ! 
How  many  happy  hours  I  have  lost  from  life!" 

A  touching  sequel  must  be  added  to  complete  the 
foregoing.  Following  the  funeral  of  this  dear  old 
man,  some  six  years  later,  his  wife  told  me  that  when 
gomg  through  his  effects  she  came  upon  the  faded  "I 
know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth'*  tucked  away  in  his 
wallet,  right  next  to  a  comfortable  roll  of  greenbacks. 

Religion  certainly  need  not  await  the  halting  steps 
of  laboratory  or  seance  evidence.  It  may  move  for- 
ward into  light  and  love  with  the  experimental  assur- 
ance of  a  trusting  child.  Faith  in  one*s  earthly  parent 
is  not  something  begotten  of  reason  or  nurtured  upon 
arguments.  Is  faith  in  the  Spirit-Father  something  so 
extraordinary  that  all  the  normal  processes  of  personal 
approach  and  mutual  understanding  must  be  reversed  ? 
Job's  answer  is  an  unqualified  negative. 

If  the  transcendent  knowledge  voiced  by  Job  is  not 
yours  I  am  persuaded  that  your  unfortunate  state  of 
mind  is  due  far  less  to  intellectual  difficulties  than  to 
spiritual  inertia. 

Look  in  thy  soul  and  know, 

List  to  thy  heart  and  sing; 

For  soul  and  heart  are  founts  of  weal 

And  their  song  is  a  living  thing. 


IV 

THE  CROWN  RIGHTS  OF  THE  SOUL 

"There  is  a  river  the  streams  whereof  make 
glad  the  city  of  our  God.''     Psalms  46 :  4. 

The  stream  of  human  history  is  always  pushing 
down  toward  some  mighty  cataract.  Epochs  end  in 
great  historical  cataclysms.  The  flood,  the  exodus, 
the  exile^  the  dark  ages,  the  French  Revolution,  the 
Reformation,  the  World  War,  are  the  Niagaras  of 
history. 

In  our  consideration  of  the  stream  we  linger  too 
long  at  the  falls,  fascinated  by  the  imposing  specta- 
cle or  terrified  at  the  display  of  such  power.  I  would 
have  you  give  special  attention  to  the  river  above  the 
falls.  I  am  asking  you  to  explore  it,  to  examine  its 
headwaters,  to  discover  its  trend,  to  get  some  idea  of 
its  significance.  Take  time  to  survey  it,  to  sound  its 
depths,  to  study  its  currents  and  cross  currents,  to 
chart  its  course.  In  other  words,  get  a  broad  view  of 
this  stream  of  history  ascertaining,  if  possible  whence 
it  Cometh  and  whither  it  goeth,  and  how  it  may  best 
serve  God  and  man. 

The  text  affords  us  a  hint  as  to  the  significance  of 
the  cataracts.  They  are  the  water  of  human  nature 
seeking  its  level.  If  the  level  of  a  spring  is  five  feet 
above  the  outlet  in  a  fountain  the  tiny  stream  in  its 

50 


The  Crown  Rights  of  the  Soul     51 

play  will  shoot  upward  five  feet.  So  the  various  ex- 
tremities to  which  a  river  resorts  in  seeking  its  level 
are  determined  by  the  altitude  of  the  head  waters  and 
the  confirmation  of  the  bed  through  which  it  flows. 
In  physics  this  is  called  the  energy  of  position.  That 
is  to  say,  the  energy  of  flowing  water  at  any  point  is 
increased  as  the  reservoir  is  raised  higher  and  higher. 
For  example,,  the  St.  Lawrence  has  one  energy  value 
at  Goat  Island,  immediately  before  it  makes  its 
mad  plunge,  and  another  energy  value  at  Queenstown, 
where  having  exhausted  itself  in  the  exploits  of 
cataract  and  rapids,  it  slows  down  and  more  leisurely 
pursues  its  journey  toward  the  sea.  What  is  true  of 
rivers  is  equally  true  of  men.  What  transpires  in  the 
course  of  flowing  water  likewise  transpires  in  the 
course  of  human  events.  What  gravity  is  to  the 
natural  order  that  God  is  to  the  spiritual  order. 
Waterfalls  are  human  nature  seeking  the  level  of  the 
originating  source — God. 

If  you  will  turn  to  the  Book  of  the  Revelation  you 
will  there  find  the  springs  from  which  all  of  these 
cataracts  of  history  proceed.  "And  I  saw,"  says  John, 
"a  river  of  the  water  of  life,  clear  as  crystal,  proceed- 
ing out  of  the  throne  of  God."  Do  you  see?  The 
life  that  flows  within  human  beings  had  its  origin  in 
God's  own  throne.  It  is  the  fluid  essence  of  Deity. 
It  is  liquid  sovereignty.  You  cannot  make  it  other- 
wise. You  may  philosophize  about  it,  and  speculate 
concerning  it,  and  exert  your  greatest  ingenuity  to 
thwart  it,  but  it  will  always  remain  what  it  is  by  nature, 
the  fluid  essence  of  the  Almighty.     This  sovereignty 


52  The  Meaning  of  Life 

is  flowing  through  kings  no  more  than  through  sub- 
jects, in  rich  men  no  more  than  in  poor  men,  through 
the  proletariat  no  more  than  through  the  bourgeois. 
And  it  will  continue  to  flow  until  it  finds  its  level.  It 
came  out  of  a  throne,  it  will  go  on  tumbling  over 
cataract  after  cataract  until  "Thy  Kingdom,  comes  and 
Thy  will  is  done  upon  earth,  as  it  is  done  in  heaven." 

Turn  again  to  the  fourth  chapter  of  the  Revelation ; 
here  you  will  see  where  this  mighty  river  is  finally  to 
find  itself  and  come  to  rest.  *T  saw  a  river  proceed- 
ing out  of  the  throne  of  God."  Here  we  read,  ''And 
before  the  throne  a  sea  of  glass."  The  river  has  ar- 
rived. A  sea  of  glass — all  the  cataracts  are  spent, 
the  turmoil  over,  and  the  river  at  rest  because  it  has 
attained  its  level.  Its  source  is  the  throne;  its  end  is 
the  throne.  And  the  throne  is  the  throne  of  God. 
Such  is  the  philosophy  of  life.  Such,  too,  is  the 
philosophy  of  history.  And  any  philosophy  that 
stops  short  of  this,  expressed  with  mathematical  pre- 
cision and  in  algebraic  symbols,  is  a  philosophy  that 
takes  little  account  of  the  facts,  and  partakes  of  the 
nature  of  intellectual  treason. 

The  Hebrews  made  remarkable  guesses,  if  they  were 
no  more.  Of  course,  we  do  not  believe  that  they  were 
guesses;  we  believe  they  were  revelations — divine 
energizings  of  intellect.  Take  their  national  hymn, 
the  87th  Psalm,  in  which  they  picture  the  plunge  of 
fluid  sovereignty  over  cataract  after  cataract  and  the 
ultimate  consummation  in  a  holy  city  where  peace 
and  righteousness  prevail,  and  where  political  sover- 


The  Crown  Rights  of  the  Soul     53 

eignty,  with  all  its  glory,  becomes  a  vassal  of  Divine 
Sovereignty.  The  refrain  of  that  hymn  is  significant. 
"All  my  springs  are  in  Thee."  Do  you  get  it?  The 
fluid  essence  of  God  flowing  through  Israel  and 
through  democracy  is  some  day  to  attain  an  altitude 
of  perfection  approximately  the  same  as  its  Divine 
source.  So  great  a  national  hymn  belongs  not  only 
to  Israel  but  to  the  world  as  well. 

This  broader  view  of  life  will  enable  us  to  under- 
stand a  great  many  things  hitherto  inexplicable.  Take 
children,  for  example.  Have  you  never  wondered  why 
it  is  that  a  boy  no  sooner  gets  among  other  boys  than 
he  aspires  to  be  the  leader  of  the  gang?  It  is  because 
the  river  of  which  I  am  speaking  is  flowing  within 
that  boy's  life.  Although  scarcely  out  of  the  cradle 
he  is  conscious  of  his  regality.  For  the  same  reason 
the  little  girl  calls  out  at  once  when  a  game  is  pro- 
posed *T'm  it!"  So  fluid  sovereignty  begins  to  seek 
its  level  in  the  tender  years  of  childhood. 

And  it  explains  "the  climbers,"  this  larger  philoso- 
phy of  life.  You  have  doubtless  wondered  why  folks 
are  not  satisfied  when  they  have  climbed  out  of  poverty. 
Why  is  it  that  with  the  acquisition  of  wealth  comes 
the  ambition  to  climb  into  social  prestige,  and  then 
into  the  seats  of  the  mighty?  The  answer  is  found 
in  liquid  sovereignty. 

Moreover,  this  philosophy  accounts  for  the  recur- 
rent spirit  of  revolution.  It  is  evident  that  no  man 
can  be  kept  down  for  long.  When  repressed  or  con- 
fined he  blows  up.  This  is  inevitable.  God  has  im- 
parted sovereignty  to  the  other  fellow  in  like  manner 


54  The  Meaning  of  Life 

as  He  has  imparted  it  to  us.  I  have  the  feehng  that 
no  one  of  us  could  Hve  in  a  kennel  with  the  under 
dog  for  long  at  a  time  without  becoming  somewhat 
of  a  bulldog.  Certainly  we  would  "start  something." 
This  mighty  river  of  human  nature  is  going  on  from 
this  cataract  to  the  next,  and  you  cannot  stop  it  any 
more  than  you  can  overturn  God's  throne.  So  the 
endless  struggle  for  supremacy  must  go  on — and  go 
on  indefinitely.  History  will  continue  to  push  on  and 
on  toward  mighty  cataracts. 

King  Charles  XIV.,  of  Sweden,  would  never  allow 
an  attendant  to  bathe  him,  which  was  quite  unusual 
as  kings  go.  Curiosity  was  naturally  awakened  by 
this  idiosyncrasy  and  speculation  was  rife.  When  he 
died  the  secret  came  out,  creating  a  sensation  through- 
out Europe.  In  preparing  the  body  for  burial  it  was 
discovered  that  upon  the  monarch's  left  arm  was 
tattooed  the  red  cap  of  anarchy  and  beneath  it  the 
words  "Death  to  all  kings." 

How  came  this  emblem  and  such  sentiments  to  find 
place  upon  a  king's  arm?  Very  naturally.  The 
founder  of  the  present  reigning  house  of  Sweden  was 
born  on  the  edge  of  Spain  and  was  a  rank  revolu- 
tionist. He  was  the  son  of  a  poor  lawyer,  and  am- 
bitious to  a  degree.  Finding  it  difficult  to  get  on, 
"within  the  law,"  as  rapidly  as  he  felt  he  should,  he 
attached  himself  to  those  trying  to  get  on  "without 
the  law."  As  a  radical  revolutionist  Charles  made  no 
end  of  trouble  for  the  government  and  was  twice  ex- 
pelled from  Spain. 

Then    came    Napoleon's    Conquest   of   Continental 


The  Crown  Rights  of  the  Soul     55 

Europe.  Seeing  his  opportunity,  the  anarchist  joined 
his  fortunes  with  those  of  the  httle  Corsican.  He  rose 
rapidly,  eventually  becoming  one  of  Napoleon's  chief 
field  marshals. 

In  Sweden  and  Norway,  as  in  other  countries, 
Napoleon  removed  the  reigning  monarch,  Gustavus  the 
Fourth,  and  enthroned  Marshal  Bernadotte.  And  thus 
sovereignty  found  its  level,  and  Bernadotte  became  the 
very  thing  that  he  thought  he  hated  the  most — King 
Charles. 

The  application  is  obvious.  In  the  heart  of  every 
revolutionist  and  socialist,  in  the  heart  of  every  com- 
munist, in  the  heart  of  every  man  who  is  seeking  to 
rise  politically,  financially  and  socially,  if  indeed  you 
could  see  that  heart  you  would  find  tattooed  an  intense 
hatred  for  the  very  thing  God  has  designed  him  to  be 
— a  sovereign.  The  only  question  is  whether  he  is  to 
be  a  sovereign  without  the  ]aw  of  God  or  within  that 
law. 

Now,  how  are  you  going  to  deal  with  these  water- 
falls ?  That  is  the  crux  of  the  text.  It  suggests  both 
the  significance  of  these  streams  of  human  nature  and 
their  utility.  They  may  be  utilized.  'There  is  a  river 
— whose  streams  make  glad  the  city."  Cities  symbol- 
ize civilization.  God  set  the  stream  of  sovereignty  to 
flowing  through  your  life  and  through  all  lives  for  a 
purpose — the  realization  of  His  Kingdom  expecta- 
tion. 

We  cannot  prevent  the  waterfall,  but  there  is  one 
thing  we  can  do — harness  it.  With  it  we  may  irrigate 
society,  by  it  we  may  illuminate  the  world;  we  may 


56  The  Meaning  of  Life 

guide  its  power  into  all  sorts  of  worthy  channels;  we 
may  make  it  serve  God  and  man. 

The  greatest  book  on  social  reconstruction  ever 
written  is  the  Bible.  It  is  a  comprehensive  history  of 
social  redemption,  from  beginning  to  end.  The  his- 
tory is  in  two  parts.  Part  one — how  man  got  started 
wrong.  Part  two — how  man  is  to  get  started  right. 
And  the  story  revolves  about  two  supreme  personalities 
— the  first  Adam  of  the  Garden  of  Eden,  and  the  sec- 
ond Adam  of  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane. 

Glance  backward  to  the  first  Adam.  God  said, 
"Let  us  make  man  in  our  own  image  and  let  us  give 
him  dominion  over  the  fish  of  the  sea  and  the  fowl  of 
the  air  and  everything  that  liveth  upon  the  face  of 
the  earth.'*  And  it  was  so.  Dominion,  there  you  are ! 
Here  we  stand  at  the  upper  springs  of  human  nature. 
Adam  was  but  a  channel  through  which  divine  sover- 
eignty was  to  flow.  Dominion  must  be  made  to  serve 
and  it  must  move  within  a  God-ordained  channel — 
obedience.  The  divine  prohibition  "Thou  shalt  not  eat" 
was  not  intended  to  arbitrarily  break  man's  will  but  to 
break  it  to  the  harness  of  a  divine  life-purpose.  Obedi- 
ence was  designed  to  be  the  sluiceway,  so  to  speak, 
whereby  sovereignty  was  to  be  harnessed  to  the  vast 
and  intricate  machinery  of  Providence. 

Enter  Satan!  Who  plays  up  to  the  river's  ego; 
who  tempts  this  fluid  sovereignty.  **Hath  God  said 
thou  shalt  not?  God  is  jealous.  He  fears  you.  He 
knoweth  well  that  the  moment  you  assert  your  sov- 
ereignty you  will  become  as  God.  Why  confine  your 
life  to  so  narrow  a  channel  as  obedience?    Yield  your- 


The  Crown  Rights  of  the  Soul     57 

self  to  the  spirit  of  sovereignty  within  you.  Claim 
your  royal  rights.  Declare  your  personal  liberty.  God 
made  you  to  reign.  God  has  given  you  dominion. 
Rule!  Rule,  child  of  the  Infinite!"  Then  over  the 
first  cataract  of  history  human  nature  plunged  with  a 
roar,  the  echoes  of  which  are  to  be  heard  in  every  mad- 
ness of  human  sovereignty  from  that  day  to  this.  The 
"fall  of  man"  was  an  abortive  aberration,  a  stupendous, 
an  incalculable  disaster,  an  unmitigated  folly.  The 
power  of  the  human  soul  originating  in  the  throne  of 
God  has  gone  to  waste  in  one  plunge  of  death  after 
another,  because  we  rush  madly  by  the  Watergate  of 
self-control. 

Part  two;  the  second  Adam.  Pilate  saith  unto 
Jesus,  "Art  thou  then  a  King?"  And  He  answered, 
"Yes,  Pilate;  thou  hast  truly  called  me  king,  for  to 
this  end  was  I  born  and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the 
world."  Anticipating  which  dialogue  Satan  follows 
Jesus  into  the  wilderness  where  he  whispers,  "If  Thou 
art  then  a  king,  why  confine  Thy  life  to  the  narrow 
channel  of  obedience?  Cast  Thyself  down.  Work 
a  miracle.  Do  a  foolish  thing.  Bow  down  before  me 
and  take  the  short  cut  to  world  dominion."  Listen! 
You  are  to  hear  the  vibrant  voice  of  true  sovereignty : 
"Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan,  for  thou  understandest 
not  the  things  that  be  of  God." 

Now  the  people  come  forward  to  tempt  Jesus. 
"Hail,  King  of  the  Jews!  Come,  we  will  place  Thee 
upon  Thy  rightful  throne."  Then  follows  the  story 
of  the  entry  into  Jerusalem,  the  disillusionment  of  get- 
it-done-quicks,  and  the  triumph  of  true  sovereignty  as 
it  passes  willingly  through  the  Watergate  of  self -con- 


58  The  Meaning  of  Life 

trol  and  over  the  water-wheels  of  service  generating 
the  light  that  lighteneth  all  who  come  into  the 
world. 

Enter  now  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  that  antithesis 
to  the  Garden  of  Eden.  Garden  of  Eden — man's 
dominion  lost  by  his  loss  of  dominion  over  himself. 
Garden  of  Gethsemane — man's  dominion  regained 
through  self-control.  Jesus  is  speaking :  "If  it  be  pos- 
sible, take  this  cup  from  Me.  Nevertheless,  not  as  I 
will  but  as  Thou  wilt."  Again  sovereignty  is  obedi- 
ent and  becomes  omnipotent.  "Wherefore  God  hath 
given  Him  a  name  which  is  above  every  name,  that 
at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  shall  bow  and  every 
I  tongue  confess  that  He  is  Lord  to  the  glory  of  the 
Father."    Have  I  overdrawn  the  picture  ? 

Friends,  the  sooner  we  accept  the  Christian  philoso- 
phy of  progress  the  sooner  we  shall  arrive  at  the  gates 
of  Utopia.  The  city  of  God  is  not  to  be  had  for  the 
price  of  police  departments  and  law  courts.  There  is 
but  one  way  to  reconstruct  the  world  and  that  is  the 
right  way.  Attempts  have  been  made  over  and  over 
again  to  reconstruct  by  as  nobly  conceived  and  as 
earnestly  executed  plans  and  specifications  as  any  now 
upon  the  trestle  board.  In  God's  name,  let  us  this 
time  begin  right.  The  cornerstone  for  the  "New 
Order"  is  not  yonder  in  the  Garden  of  Eden;  it 
is  over  here  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane — a  garden 
of  self-control  and  of  deference  to  a  higher  will. 
Square  your  own  life  and  plumb  the  walls  of  the  "New 
Order"  with  this  cornerstone.  The  Apostle,  that  wise 
master  builder,  called  it,  "The  chief  cornerstone.  .  .  . 


The  Crown  Rights  of  the  Soul     59 

For  other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that  which 
is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ." 

Sooner  or  later  we  have  got  to  come  to  it.  The 
instinct  for  dominion  cannot  be  extinguished.  It  is  an 
appetite  that  cannot  be  satisfied.  Here  is  a  man  who 
aspires  to  be  a  captain  of  industry,  and  he  arrives.  Is 
he  satisfied?  Not  at  all.  He  forthwith  aspires  to  be 
Lieutenant-Colonel  of  production.  When  this  ambi- 
tion is  attained  he  sets  out  to  become  Colonel  of  dis- 
tribution. Is  he  then  satisfied?  Not  he.  For  he 
then  begins  to  pull  wires  that  he  may  be  appointed 
ranking  General  of  federal  control.  So  it  goes.  Such 
is  life  from  the  hovel  to  the  palace,  from  the  cradle 
to  the  grave.  By  hook  or  by  crook  each  man,  all 
men,  here,  there  and  everywhere,  are  determined  to 
have  their  full  rights — and  more.  So  on  and  on  the 
stream  of  sovereignty  goes,  seeking  ever  to  find  its 
level. 

The  masses  are  as  bad  as  the  classes.  If  I  must 
live  under  a  king  I  had  rather  have  one  king  than  a 
hundred  million.  I  am  so  constituted  that  I  cannot 
be  a  political  chameleon.  If  my  crown  must  come 
off  before  another's  crown,  let  me,  I  pray  you,  cast 
it  before  the  throne  of  God,  for  there  I  shall  at  least 
know  that  I  am  before  the  seat  of  final  authority ;  that 
I  have  reached  the  moral  and  spiritual  level  where 
alone  political,  industrial  and  social  peace  is  possible. 
Human  nature  will  never  come  to  rest  until  it  rests  in 
God.  If  the  theory  of  democracy  is  correct,  if  all 
men  are  equal,  if  the  people  are  indeed  the  rightful 
rulers,   then   it  is   high  time  we   begin  to   train   the 


60  The  Meaning  of  Life 

future  kings.     The  logical  place  to  begin  is  in  the 
home  and  in  the  church. 

Such  is  the  established  practice  of  royalty.  Why 
was  the  British  Prince  sent  over  to  America?  Why 
did  he  circumnavigate  the  globe  ?  Was  this  a  pleasure 
excursion?  Was  it  another  way  of  spending  British 
gold?  Every  one  knows  better.  There  was  an  excel- 
lent reason.  Some  day  the  Prince  of  Wales,  in  all 
human  probability,  will  be  King  of  England.  He  is 
now  learning  the  job,  sizing  up  the  situation  and  making 
the  acquaintance  of  a  world  family  of  nations. 
Britain  would  have  a  king  worth  while.  She  would 
preclude  the  possibility  of  sovereignty  run  amuck. 
In  infancy  they  began  to  train  the  prince  to  be  honor- 
able, wise,  versatile  and  many-tongued.  Oh,  yes,  we 
train  a  political  sovereign  here  and  there.  But  with 
democracy's  sovereigns  it  is  different — we  prefer  to 
let  them  grow  up  like  Topsy. 

Do  you  suppose  that  the  common  man  needs  less 
training  than  royalty?  If  the  man  to  the  manner  born 
must  be  disciplined,  so  much  the  more  those  men  who 
have  had  all  manners  of  birth.  I  say  to  you  to-day,  in 
the  name  of  our  Most  High  Sovereign,  if  democracy 
is  to  endure,  if  democratic  ideals  are  to  prevail,  we 
must  get  down  to  the  greatest  business  in  hand — the 
training  of  kings. 

We  are  endeavoring  to  do  this  in  the  Sunday 
Schools,  the  week-day  school  of  religion,  the  parish 
house,  the  institutional  church,  the  Scout  movement, 
et  al.     These  are  the  adjuncts  of  the  home,  never  the 


The  Crown  Rights  of  the  Soul     61 

substitute  therefor.  Although,  unfortunately,  they  fur- 
nish the  only  culture  the  children  have  ever  known,  in 
many  instances.  There  must  be  more  of  this  kind  of 
effort.  Only  let  not  these  great  and  going  enterprises 
degenerate  into  mere  playgrounds.  It  is  serious  busi- 
ness we  have  in  hand.  Self-control,  obedience  and 
deference  to  higher  Wisdom  and  authority  are  the 
fundamental  things  to  be  inculcated.  We  deal  with 
immeasurable  potentialities  and  our  one  concern  must 
always  be  how  best  to  harness  the  fluid  sovereignty 
which  is  now  running  to  waste. 

There  must  be  a  program.  It  must  include  certain 
major  subjects.  Every  boy  and  every  girl  must  be 
taught  that  he  or  she  is  a  king  or  queen  unto  God. 
The  channel  of  obedience  must  be  clearly  defined  and 
prince  and  princess  must  be  taught  to  operate  the 
Watergate  of  self-control.  Adam  of  Eden  must  be 
dethroned  and  Jesus  of  Gethsemane  must  be  enthroned 
in  each  heart.  The  significance  of  adolescent  cataracts 
must  be  explained.  Frequent  visits  should  be  made  to 
the  power  station  of  noble  biography  where  they  may 
observe  liquid  sovereignty  flowing  through  the  great 
turbines  of  service.  The  mystical  current  of  spiritual 
power  as  gathered  from  the  atmosphere  of  God  should 
be  traced  along  the  singing  wires  of  human  endeavor 
to  the  many  outlets  in  business,  politics,  industry, 
family  and  social  intercourse.  And  then,  as  attention 
is  drawn  to  the  fact  that  a  river  lighting  the  world  is 
better  than  a  river  running  to  waste,  let  Jesus  speak: 
*'Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world."     Such  a  program, 


62  The  Meaning  of  Life 

such  a  curriculum  is  well  calculated  to  make  the  next 
generation  more  kingly  and  to  bring  the  world  in  com- 
ing years  a  little  nearer  to  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

Turn  now  to  the  plunging,  roaring  cataracts  all 
about  us,  and  let  me  ask  you :  Do  they  not  inspire  the 
imagination?  Don't  you  see  possibilities  in  all  this 
liquid  sovereignty  that  is  now  going  to  waste?  Can 
you  not  visualize  latent  power  and  profit,  light  and 
reality  in  these  untamed,  unharnessed  lives?  Human 
nature  is  seeking  a  worthy  task  even  as  it  is  seeking 
to  find  its  level. 

"Kings  of  a  hundred  Dreadnaughts,  ruling  the  seven  seas, 
Kings  of  artillery,  powder  and  steel — shall  ye  endure  all 

these. 
Keeping  armed  lordship  of  earth  where'er    your  sentries 

stand  ? 
What  are  Akkad  and  Assur  now  ?     Shards,  in  the  drifting 
sand. 

"Kings  of  a  thousand  forges,  kings  of  ten  thousand  men. 
Liner  and  Hmited,  shuttlewise  thrown,  from  port  unto  sea- 
port  again, 
Weaving  a  web  of  infinite  threads,  giants  of  hand  and  of 

brain — 
Where  are  the  galleys  Phoenicia  sailed?    Ooze,    in  a  deso- 
late main. 

"Kings  of  the  soul's  out-searchings,  kings  of  the  far  ideal — 
Poets,     philosophers,     prophets — the     Christ — lifting    men 

nearer  the  Real — 
Not  unto  dust  as  the  war  lords  go,  not  as  the  lords  of  greed, 
But  rising  forever  from  life  to  life — ^kings  and  Messiahs 
indeed." 


V 

THE  REASON  FOR  REASON 

''As  they  reasoned  together  Jesus  Himself 
drezv  near/'     Luke  24:15. 

A  cat  has  been  known  to  open  a  door  by  pulling 
the  latchstring.  This  is  instinct.  But  no  cat  was  ever 
known  to  open  a  door  when  the  latchstring  was  out  of 
order.  That  would  involve  reasoning.  Bees  build 
their  hives  according  to  mathematical  rules.  This 
again  is  instinct.  But  no  bee  ever  utilized  the  mathe- 
matics of  the  hive  in  an  effort  to  decipher  the  universe. 
That  would  be  reasoning. 

By  such  illustrations  eminent  professors  define  the 
nature  and  the  function  of  reason.  Raising  cats  to 
a  higher  category  and  making  bees  human  beings  we 
see  at  once  the  reason  for  reason. 

Reason  is  the  ladder  of  the  soul.  It  is  the  instru- 
mentality whereby  man  climbs  out  of  his  limitations. 
"As  they  reasoned  together."  Here  the  ladder  is  in 
use.  From  the  heights  of  a  glorious  and  satisfying 
experience  of  heavenly  realities  the  disciples  have  been 
plunged  into  a  pit  of  black  despair.  Jesus,  to  whom 
they  looked  for  personal  and  political  redemption,  is 
no  more,  as  they  suppose.  The  whole  edifice  of  faith 
is  in  ruins.     But  the  situation  is  not  hopeless.     Al- 

63 


64  The  Meaning  of  Life 

though  they  have  lost  their  Lord  they  have  not  lost 
their  ladder.  So  we  behold  two  of  the  survivors  of  a 
spiritual  cataclysm  engaged  in  a  melancholy  endeavor 
to  climb  up  out  of  the  debris. 

Like  the  disciples  we  are  shut  in,  all  of  us,  and 
upon  every  side,  by  zones  of  blindness.  We  can  see 
just  so  far  and  no  further.  Strange  to  say,  the  most 
impenetrable  zone  lies  nearest  to  us.  No  one  can  see 
clearly  within  eight  inches  of  the  eyeball,  and  the  most 
disconcerting  thing  about  it  is  that  one's  life  is  mostly 
lived  within  this  eight-inch  zone.  Here  health  and 
dipsease  strive  for  the  mastery;  here,  too,  faith  is  lost 
or  heaven  is  won. 

What  do  we  do  about  it?  Nothing?  Do  we  re- 
main supine  and  suffer  it  to  be  ever  thus?  Not  we. 
With  divinely  noble  instinct  we  exclaim,  "I  will  not  be 
a  prisoner  in  a  realm  over  which  God  anointed  me 
ruler."  Forthwith  we  set  about  reasoning  our  way 
out.  Round  by  round  we  ascend  by  induction  and 
deduction,  never  satisfied  here  because  the  ladder  top 
rests  there — beyond  time  and  space. 

Reason  enables  us  to  perceive  what  cannot  be  proved. 
Some  one  has  well  said,  ''Nothing  in  the  universe  can 
be  proved."  Mathematics  is  the  most  exact  science. 
Yet  what  has  it  actually  proved — what  can  it  prove? 
What  is  the  world's  war  debt  ?  Who  knows  ?  A  line 
of  figures  has  been  assembled  reaching  from  the  mines 
of  Ophir  to  the  Bank  of  England  and  then  some  dis- 
tance. But  what  do  these  figures  mean?  Absolutely 
nothing  to  the  average  mind.  We  are  incapable  of 
thinking  in  billions.     Who  ever  saw  a  billion  dollars? 


The  Reason  for  Reason  65 

These  are  terms  of  relativity,  purely.  What,  then, 
do  such  strings  of  figures  amount  to?  This:  a  Para- 
mount film  of  chills  and  thrills,  a  hundred  league  reel 
of  insatiability  and  insanity,  of  plot  and  counterplot, 
of  villainous  intrigue,  and  human  waste  and  utter  ruin. 
In  very  truth  figures  are  only  pictures  of  which  Reason 
is  the  producer. 

I  have  said  that  reason  is  the  ladder  of  the  soul. 
It  is  not  the  property  of  the  intellect.  It  belongs  to 
the  master  of  the  house;  intellect  is  the  servant  in  the 
house.  On  the  best  authority  we  have  it  that  the  brain 
never  climbs  unless  commanded  to  do  so.  The  brain 
originates  nothing.  It  never  formed  a  word  nor  orig- 
inated an  idea.  Each  thought,  each  word  is  put  into 
the  brain  as  books  are  arranged  upon  the  shelves  of  a 
library.  The  soul  says  to  his  servant  "Do  this"  and 
he  doeth  it. 

Every  normal  soul  has  its  ladder.  All  are  not 
modern  extension  ladders.  Some  are  very  primitive 
but  they  serve  the  purpose.  Any  soul  anywhere,  in 
any  age,  may  climb  out  of  its  limitation  if  it  wills  to 
do  so.  Long  before  there  were  any  logicians 
souls  used  these  ladders.  Witness  that  tale  of  ''Nep- 
tune's Cup,"  a  name  given  to  the  curious  coral  goblet 
found  in  the  Indian  Ocean.  It  has  a  base  three  inches 
in  diameter  and  a  tapering  stem  of  some  six  feet  sup- 
ports a  perfectly  formed  bowl.  Tiny  creatures,  work- 
ing by  instinct,  reached  out  of  cramped  quarters  and 
with  deft  little  hands  gathered  from  the  sea  water  such 
material  as  they  needed,  never  once  leaving  their  shells. 
Working  by  reason  the  savages   who   dwelt  in  that 


66  The  Meaning  of  Life 

vicinity  came  to  regard  the  chalice  with  devout  rever- 
ence for  they  saw  therein  evidence  of  higher  intelH- 
gence.  So  they  climbed  out  of  their  barbarous  limit- 
ations and  lifted  their  hearts  to  God.  'Twas  even 
thus  with  Christ's  Emmaus  friends.  The  brain  stag- 
gered on  in  a  zone  of  darkness  accepting  the  incon- 
trovertible evidence  of  the  senses,  but  the  soul  rebelled 
at  a  black  creed  of  negation  and  by  reasoning 
found  deliverance. 

Again,  Reason  is  a  ladder  by  which  to  ascend. 
Now,  it  is  easy  to  lose  one's  sense  of  direction  when 
using  reason.  The  disciples  lost  theirs.  Finding 
them  going  down  instead  of  going  up  Jesus  asks, 
"Why  are  3^e  troubled  and  cast  down?"  Souls  are 
not  cast  down  while  going  up  the  ladder — ^they  are 
inspired  by  an  ever  increasing  sense  of  elevation. 
Each  man  is  at  perfect  liberty  to  use  his  ladder  as  he 
will.  He  may  go  either  up  or  down.  One  man  be- 
comes a  skeptic  by  the  same  means  that  another  man 
becomes  a  believer.  It  is  simply  a  question  of  the 
direction.  Descending  the  ladder  round  by  round  a 
soul  may  reach  any  level  of  darkness  that  suits  the 
taste.  And  it  is  largely  a  matter  of  taste.  Some  men, 
not  all,  *'love  darkness  rather  than  light  because  their 
deeds  are  evil,"  declared  Jesus. 

A  library  contains  thousands  of  volumes,  but  what 
book  is  taken  from  the  shelves  depends  upon  the  direc- 
tion a  man  is  going  when  he  enters.  With  thousands 
of  good  books  on  every  hand  that  he  might  read  with 
profit,  with  innumerable  logic-rounds  that  he  might 
put  his  feet  upon  wdth  reasonable  certainty  that  they 


The  Reason  for  Reason  67 

will  help  his  soul  to  rise,  he  selects  only  such  as  enable 
him  to  proceed  further  in  the  direction  he  is  already 
going. 

Judging  from  advertisements  of  one  kind  or  an- 
other a  good  many  people  are  headed  downstairs. 
Books  that  were  behind  the  times  twenty-five  years  ago 
are  finding  their  way  to  the  ''latest-publication-coun- 
ter." Philosophies  and  religions  that  were  decrepit  or 
defunct  when  Babylon  flourished  and  Boanerges 
thundered  are  rising  from  their  graves  regaled  in  all 
the  finery  of  new  religions.  Loud  are  the  plaudits  of 
almost  any  religion  with  a  pedigree  of  four  or  five 
thousand  years.  So  take  thy  choice,  O  Soul.  Rest 
the  foot  of  thy  ladder  upon  an  age  of  ignorance  and 
superstition  and  climb  down  or  rest  it  upon  an  age  of 
science  and  spiritual  reality  and  climb  up.  For  myself 
I  am  perfectly  willing  to  take  off  my  hat  to  the  past, 
but  God  help  me  to  keep  my  face  turned  upward 
whither  my  Master  went. 

The  skeptic  is  the  most  savable  of  men  because  he 
need  only  reverse  his  direction.  His  feet  are  assuredly 
upon  the  ladder  else  he  would  not  be  a  skeptic.  The 
travelers  of  our  text  were  skeptics,  in  the  best  sense. 
When  Jesus  joined  them  He  had  only  to  begin  at 
Moses  and  the  prophets  and  show  how  one  and  all 
kept  their  eyes  upon  a  single  object — the  personal 
manifestation  of  God.  By  the  time  he  finished  the 
survey,  almost  unconsciously  they  had  turned  their 
backs  upon  the  shadows  below  and  were  already  climb- 
ing out  of  circumstantial  Hmitations  into  the  light  of 
reality. 


68  The  Meaning  of  Life 

We  come  now  to  the  most  important  of  all  the 
reasons  for  reason.  Reason  is  the  ladder  by  which 
the  soul  ascends  to  God.  The  foot  of  each  ladder 
rests  upon  personality,  and  its  top  rests  against  Per- 
sonality. Human  personality  is  here,  Divine  Per- 
sonality is  there  and  here  becomes  there  when  the  soul 
finds  God.  The  supreme  intent  of  reason  is  unques- 
tionably this:  to  make  fellowship  easy  between  God 
and  man  and  free  trade  possible  between  heaven  and 
earth. 

In  my  seminary  days  certain  learned  professors 
were  expressly  charged  with  the  duty  of  reconciling 
science  and  religion,  the  idea  being  that  an  internecine 
war  was  on  between  the  two.  We  do  not  so  under- 
stand it  now.  We  have  come  to  realize  that  such  a 
war  would  be  like  a  man  fighting  himself.  It  would  be 
a  clear  case  of  hari-kari.  If  science  ever  destroys 
religion  it  commits  suicide.  If  religion  destroys  sci- 
ence it,  too,  commits  suicide.  Science  is  essential  to 
religion  and  vice  versa.  When  you  knock  the  top  of 
the  ladder  away  from  the  throne  of  God  down  reason 
comes  on  the  head  of  scientist  and  saint  alike^  and 
great  is  the  spill  thereof. 

I  was  in  another  state  some  time  ago,  addressing  a 
group  of  ministers  of  many  denominations.  My  theme 
was  *The  Pressing  Need  of  Pressing  Personality.*' 
When  I  took  my  seat  after  speaking;  a  gentleman 
slipped  in  beside  me  and  said,  "Can't  you  do  something 
for  my  brother?"  I  expressed  my  surprise  that  his 
brother  needed  aught  done  for  him.     I  knew  him  well 


The  Reason  for  Reason  69 

by  reputation.  Indeed,  several  of  his  books  are  in  my 
library. 

"Yes,  yes,  but  my  brother  feels  that  his  life  is  a  com- 
plete failure.  He  has  lost  his  grip  on  all  spiritual 
reality  and  he  is  so  unhappy  about  it." 

We  talked  long  and  earnestly  about  the  case  and 
arrived  at  the  same  conclusion.  By  abandoning  his 
early  belief  in  a  personal  God  he  had  lost  the  main 
support  of  reason  with  the  result  that  when  he  had 
climbed  so  far  the  weight  of  his  own  logic  succumbed 
to  earth-gravity  and  down  he  came.  There  are  hun- 
dreds of  men  in  the  ^ame.  sad  plight. 

It  is  a  matter  of  common  knowledge  that  the  higher 
one  climbs  the  more  likely  one  is  to  become  light- 
headed. Supernatural  altitudes  invariably  tend  to 
produce  natural  agnosticism.  This  tendency  may  be 
overcome,  however,  by  lifting  the  eyes  from  the  ground 
and  turning  them  aloft.  Much  spiritual  difficulty  and 
more  moral  delinquency  might  be  avoided  did  we  but 
look  up  and  not  down  in  our  various  reasoning  proces- 
ses. 

What  brought  about  the  world  war?  I  have  read 
several  books  dealing  with  this  perplexing  question, 
and  each  advocates  a  different  theory.  I  may  there- 
fore be  pardoned  if  I  venture  one.  In  my  opinion 
our  civilization  had  simply  cHmbed  too  high  for  its 
earth-bound  gaze  and  accordingly  grew  dizzy  and  fell 
with  world  crash.  *'Look  where  you're  going"  is  in 
substance  the  golden  ''rule  of  reason."  Events  usually 
follow  in  the  direction  of  vision. 


70  The  Meaning  of  Life 

Wherefore,  it  behooves  us  to  scrutinize  our  visions. 
It  is  quite  possible  that  what  seems  to  be  vision  is 
nothing  but  a  nightmare,  such  as  a  friend  of  mine  once 
had.  In  his  vision  an  iron  ladder  was  set  up  against 
the  sky  as  a  voice  said,  "Climb !  Climb !"  He  did  so 
and  safely  reached  the  top.  Whereupon  a  second  lad- 
der, this  time  of  silver,  was  set  up  against  the  sky,  and 
again  he  heard  the  voice,  "Climb !  Climb  !'*  Having 
attained  the  topmost  round  of  silver  he  found  a  gold 
ladder  leaning  against  the  sky.  "Climb!  Climb!" 
commanded  the  imperious  voice.  By  this  time  his 
strength  was  waning,  the  ascent  was  more  difficult, 
but  with  labored  breathing  and  swaying  frame  he 
pressed  on  until  he  stood  upon  the  last  gold  round. 
"Now,  jump!'*  And  jump  he  did.  But  he  awoke 
with  a  start  for  he  had  fallen  out  of  bed. 

The  history  of  human  progress  is  liberally  punctu- 
ated with  visions  which  we  would  call  ludicrous  but 
for  the  fact  that  they  have  been  attended  by  such  dire 
and  far-reaching  consequences.  It  was  just  such  a 
vision  that  brought  about  the  world  war. 

I  have  said  that  reason  is  the  property  of  the  soul. 
That  statement  should  be  qualified  somewhat.  The 
fact  is,  reason  is  only  borrowed.  Away  back  yonder 
when  God  breathed  upon  him  and  man  became  a  living 
soul  God  loaned  him  this  superb  faculty,  a  fact 
indelibly  impressed  upon  my  mind  by  a  tragic  incident 
of  my  early  ministry.  I  was  making  a  tour  of  the 
buildings  of  a  State  Hospital  for  the  Insane  in  the 
Middle  West.  The  physician  in  charge  unlocked  an 
iron  gate  and  a  heavy  door  and  I  suddenly  found  my- 


The  Reason  for  Reason  71 

self  in  the  "madhouse"  reserved  for  violent  cases. 
The  door  had  no  sooner  closed  upon  us  than  an 
inmate  seized  me  from  behind  and  shouted  in  my  ear, 
"Have  you  thanked  God  for  your  reason?'*  I  had 
never  thought  of  doing  so  before.  I  had  thanked  Him 
for  food  and  for  raiment  and  for  friends  and  for 
many  of  His  lesser  blessings.  But  from  that  day 
to  this  I  have  not  ceased  to  thank  God  for  my  reason. 
Could  greater  calamity  befall  a  soul  than  the  loss  of 
its  scaling-ladder?  Take  care  of  it,  friend.  Use  it 
wisely.  Remember  whose  it  is  and  why  it  was  loaned 
thee.     Don*t  forget  to  thank  God  for  your  reason. 

And  not  only  has  God  loaned  it  to  us  but  He  is 
holding  the  top  of  the  ladder  to  prevent  our  falling. 
"And  it  came  to  pass  that  as  they  reasoned  Jesus  Him- 
self drew  near."  Of  course,  He  did.  There  He  was 
at  the  top  watching  with  eager  solicitude  the  ascent  of 
two  precious  souls.  When  He  saw  them  hesitate  and 
waver  and  yet  so  manifestly  determined  to  continue 
the  ascent  He  very  naturally  drew  near  to  them.  This 
is  always  the  history  of  the  rising  soul.  As  we  climb 
up  God  comes  down.  "Why  reason  ye  among  your- 
selves?'* asks  Jesus.  Why^  indeed,  when  God  is  ever 
calHng  across  the  zone  of  darkness,  "Reason  with  me. 
Come  now,  let  us  reason  together.'*  As  reasoning 
with  a  true  logician  helps  one  to  think  straight,  so  rea- 
soning with  God  energizes  one  to  think  right.  A 
straight  track  may  not  always  be  the  right  track.  It 
is  more  important  to  be  right  in  our  thinking  than  it  is 
to  be  logical. 

We  too  often  forget  that  God  uses  reason  as  freely 


72  The  Meaning  of  Life 

as  man.  Jacob's  ladder  was  a  vision,  but  God's  de- 
scent to  Jacob  was  a  precious  reality.  Where  do  we  go 
when  we  "go  to  sleep?"  Who  knows?  Possibly  we 
climb  a  ladder  higher  than  Jack's  beanstalk.  However 
that  may  be  Jacob  was  neither  the  first  nor  the  last 
after  a  night  at  Bethel  to  exclaim,  *This  is  none  other 
than  the  gate  of  heaven.  I  will  never  forget  this  place 
so  long  as  I  live." 

We  have  what  may  be  called  a  first-class  scientific 
demonstration  of  what  I  have  been  endeavoring  to 
impress  upon  you  in  the  story  of  Helen  Keller  which 
has  become  a  classic.  Here  was  a  girl  hemmed  in  on 
all  sides  by  zones  of  blindness.  She  could  not  hear, 
she  could  not  speak,  she  could  not  see.  But  she  could 
reason.  This  a  good  woman  sent  of  God  discerned, 
and  at  once  she  set  about  teaching  her  to  use  her 
reason.  After  many  discouraging  efforts  she  suc- 
ceed in  getting  the  child's  feet  on  the  first  round. 
It  was  on  a  day  when  Helen  was  very  thirsty.  Her 
teacher  gave  her  a  drink  of  water,  at  the  same  time 
tracing  in  the  palm  of  her  hand  "w  a  t  e  r."  Im- 
mediately the  captive  soul  was  set  free  as  dropping  the 
glass  she  threw  her  arms  about  the  teacher's  neck  and 
wept  for  joy.  The  joy  was  so  real  that  she  wished 
to  share  it  with  another.  So  she  gave  her  dog  a  drink 
and  traced  'V  a  t  e  r"  in  his  paw.  But,  poor  beast, 
he  had  no  ladder  and  her  efforts  were  vain. 

Up,  up,  up  the  soul  of  Helen  Keller  went  with  sur- 
prising agility  until  one  day  she  asked  her  teacher, 
"Who  made  this  ladder?"     "Who  made  the  world? 


The  Reason  for  Reason  73 

Who  made  me?  Where  was  I  before  I  came  to 
mother  ?  Why  is  the  orange  sweet  ?  Why  is  the  sun 
hot?     Why?  Why?   Why?'' 

Her  teacher  repUed,  "Force  is  its  name.  Force 
made  the  world.     Force  made  you." 

The  answer  did  not  satisfy,  for  God  looked  down 
from  the  top  and  called,  **Helen,  my  child!"  And 
turning  Helen  said,  "Force  cannot  make  something 
that  can  think.  Stones  cannot  think,  but  I  can  think. 
Who  made  the  feel  in  me,  who  made  the  think?" 

Then  the  teacher,  perceiving  as  did  Eli  that  God  had 
called  the  child,  said,  "God  made  you.  God  made 
everything.  God  gave  you  reason."  From  that 
moment  Helen  began  to  climb  in  dead  earnest  out  of  a 
matter  world  where  things  were  clouded  and  into  a 
spirit  world  where  all  was  as  clear  as  sunshine.  Up, 
up  she  went  until  as  the  thrilling  tale  is  brought  to  a 
close  there  stands  before  you  a  charming  personality,  a 
college  graduate  (with  honors),  a  mistress  of  several 
languages  and  a  word  artist  whose  inspired  pen  has 
drawn  some  of  the  most  fascinating  pictures  of  God 
and  heaven  and  immortality  and  home  and  faith  and 
love  to  be  found  anywhere  in  literature. 

The  soul  had  climbed  out  of  its  limitations,  out  of 
its  physical  handicaps  into  the  full  glory  of  fellow- 
ship with  God  and  into  the  lesser  glory  as  well — the 
glory  reserved  for  those  who  like  the  Christ  have  be- 
come saviors  to  mankind. 

When  the  disciples  reached  home  that  evening  they 
said,  "Master,  the  day  is  far  spent,  come  in."     Jesus 


74  The  Meaning  of  Life 

went  in,  sat  down  with  them  to  eat  and  broke  the 
bread.  "And  their  eyes  were  opened  and  they  knew 
Him  and  He  vanished  out  of  their  sight." 

Oh,  it  is  eventide  for  some  folks  to  whom  I 
speak!  The  day  is  far  spent.  You  have  been  long 
reasoning  with  fellow  travelers  on  the  Emmaus  Road. 
You  have  been  slowly  descending  the  ladder  of  reason 
as  shadows  have  gathered  about  the  head  and  the  chill 
of  negation  has  gripped  the  heart.  Jesus  sees  your 
predicament;  He  draws  near.  He  points  to  Moses, 
to  the  prophets,  to  the  apostles  and  martyrs;  see,  all 
are  reasoning,  and  all  are  going  the  same  way — ^up- 
ward. Will  you  join  this  noble  company  in  the  ascent? 
Will  you  permit  Christ  to  open  your  eyes  and  energize 
your  soul? 

Reason  is  the  ladder  of  the  soul.  Reason  is  the 
ladder  of  the  soul  by  which  we  ascend.  Reason  is 
the  ladder  of  the  soul  by  which  we  ascend  to  God. 


VI 

WHAT  IS  SIN? 

'^Against  Thee,  Thee  only  have  I  sinned." 
Psalm  S^'A- 

In  considering  a  subject  one  must  first  have  a  mental 
picture.  It  is  impossible  to  discuss  anything  without 
this.  Language  is  the  vehicle  of  thought  only  inso- 
far as  each  word  furnishes  a  picture.  Moreover,  the 
picture  must  be  the  same  to  all  who  participate  in  the 
discussion.  And  here  we  come  upon  the  crux  to  the 
whole  so-called  sin  problem.  For  the  regrettable  de- 
fect of  language  is  that  it  so  easily  lends  itself  to  every 
trick  of  mental  and  ethical  jugglery. 

Unquestionably  one  of  the  greatest  needs  of  the  day 
is  a  common  mental  picture  of  that  awful  thing  against 
which  Hebrew  prophets  thundered  and  to  directly  deal 
with  which  Jesus  came.  We  have  accumulated  an 
extraordinary  assortment  of  incorrect  pictures.  A' 
thorough  mental  housecleaning  is  in  order,  for  most 
of  the  pictures  should  have  gone  to  the  attic  long  ago. 

Latterly  sin  has  come  to  be  almost  any  vagary  from 
brainstorm  or  delusion  of  mortal  mind  to  "mere  nega- 
tion" (whatever  that  may  be).  But  such  vague  images 
do  not  tally  with  the  front  pages  of  the  newspapers, 
nor,  for  that  matter,  with  certain  phases  of  moral  re- 
coil with  which  most  of  us  are  sadly  familiar.     If  the 

75 


76  The  Meaning  of  Life 

recent  holocaust  has  revealed  anything,  it  has  certainly 
revealed  the  imperative  need  for  a  new  appraisal  of 
sin.  Which  brings  us  to  the  text  where  we  behold 
King  David  upon  bended  knee  in  a  closet  of  prayer 
appraising  sin  in  all  its  tragic  reaHty — an  insidious, 
deep-seated  and  deadly  malady.  And  this  is  the  uni- 
form diagnosis  of  Holy  Writ. 

Speaking  broadly  the  Bible  is  a  work  on  thera- 
peutics. In  the  opening  chapters  Moses  ascribes  to 
God  the  name  Jehovah-Rophi  (God  of  Health).  In 
the  Old  Testament  we  behold  a  nation  slowly  losing  its 
health  through  the  interrupted  flow  of  a  Divine  will. 
Passing  over  into  the  New  Testament  we  note  a  very 
striking  use  of  medical  terms.  Here  a  great  Physician 
appears.  He  walks  the  pages  with  sublime  personality. 
His  touch  of  healing  is  usually  accompanied  by  words 
of  absolution:  "Thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee;"  facts 
so  significant  that  Harnack  was  led  to  remark  that  in 
his  opinion  the  rapid  spread  of  Christianity  through- 
out the  Greek  and  Roman  world  was  due  to  the  form 
in  which  it  was  presented,  namely,  as  a  specific  for  a 
universal  disorder  that  had  baffled  the  wisest  and  the 
best  men  of  every  age. 

And  how  does  the  Book  portray  this  disorder? 
Does  it  depict  sin  in  a  thousand  and  one  hideous 
forms  of  omission  or  commission  only?  Far  from 
it.  Sin  is  clearly  more  than  murder  or  thieving  or 
debauchery.  These  are  functional  aspects  so  common 
as  to  be  easily  classified.  They  are  symptoms,  erup- 
tions upon  the  body-social.  At  this  or  that  point  sub- 
terranean forces  of  moral  ill-health,  if  I  may  change 


What  Is  Sin?  11 

the  figure  somewhat,  have  burst  forth  into  giant 
geysers  of  scandalousness.  But  the  trouble  is  repre- 
sented as  more  deep-seated,  more  organic.  Sin  is 
something  back  of  any  particular  manifestation.  What 
is  this  something?     How  is  it  to  be  pictured? 

David's  snapshot  is  the  answer.  Here  sin  is 
visualized  with  the  fidelity  of  a  camera.  "Against 
Thee,  Thee  only  have  I  sinned."  Sin  is  impaired, 
spiritual  circulation — the  interrupted  flow  of  the 
Divine  will — an  embolism  of  a  soul's  arterial  relation 
with  the  mind,  the  heart,  the  very  life  of  God. 

Nothing  is  so  enveloped  in  a  mist  of  divergent 
theories  as  the  nature  of  disease.  Yet  ask  almost  any 
physician  of  standing  what  is  the  primal  cause  lying 
back  of  all  physical  disorders  and  he  will  answer 
"impaired  circulation."  Although  discovered  scarcely 
more  than  three  centuries  ago  the  circulation  of  the 
blood  has  been,  from  the  making  of  man,  the  deter- 
mining factor  in  the  health  of  the  race.  Since  this 
discovery  immense  progress  has  been  made  in  every 
branch  of  therapeutics.  And  greater  progress  will  be 
made  in  moral  therapeutics  when  it  is  more  generally 
realized  that  as  circulating  life  is  the  basic  principle 
throughout  the  universe,  so  it  is  in  the  soul  and  in 
society.  Unless  there  be  free  flow  for  a  Holy  Spirit 
and  a  Holy  Will  the  soul  will  die.  "In  the  day  thou 
eatest  thereof  thou  shalt  surely  die."  No  Satanic 
paradox  has  ever  made  it  otherwise. 

The  story  of  spiritual  circulation  is  as  simple  as  it 
is   wonderful.      Gushing   forth   from   springs   in   the 


78  The  Meaning  of  Life 

heart  of  the  Infinite  a  rich  red  river  winds  its  tortuous 
way  through  a  veritable  terra  incognito  of  human  im- 
pulse, desire  and  will,  distributing  the  Spirit  and  Will 
of  God  whithersoever  it  goeth,  at  the  same  time  gath- 
ering up  all  impurities,  yea  even  deposits  of  evil,  and 
carrying  them  back  to  God's  heart  of  love  where  man's 
contaminated  spiritual  energies  are  purified  and  sent 
forth  afresh.  Whatever  clogs  or  otherwise  impairs 
the  circulation  is  sin;  which  is  but  another  way 
of  putting  the  time-honored  definition,  "Sin  is  any 
want  of  conformity  unto  or  transgression  of  the  law 
of  God."  By  law  the  Westminster  divines  meant  not 
so  much  God's  organized  law  as  His  organic  law — 
His  law  of  life. 

Although  in  those  early  days  David  could  hardly 
have  known  much  about  the  process  nevertheless  it  is 
evident  that  he  understood  the  principle  I  have  enun- 
ciated. Witness  his  method  of  treating  his  own  sin. 
There  were  complications  about  his  soul  disease.  He 
might  easily  have  been  misled  in  his  diagnosis.  He 
might  have  treated  the  more  annoying  symptoms 
leaving  the  fatal  cause  untouched.  Out  of  the  pre- 
vailing opinions  of  his  day  (which  were  not  very 
exacting)  he  might  have  concocted  a  lotion  or  an 
opiate  which  would  have  effectually  allayed  the  pain 
and  deadened  the  conscience.  "The  king  can  do  no 
wrong"  and  was  he  not  King?  But  no!  He 
strikes  at  the  root  of  the  matter.  He  has  sinned 
against  the  group,  he  has  sinned  against  the  indi- 
vidual; he  has  sinned  against  law,  he  has  sinned 
against  the  light,  he  has  sinned  against  his  own  better 
instincts.    But  back  of  all  is  the  tap-root  of  evil,  deep 


What  Is  Sin?  79 

down  within  the  innermost  soul — he  has  sinned  against 
a  Divine  health  which  had  once  coursed  so  freely  and 
purely  through  his  whole  being.  There  has  been  a 
break  in  the  circulation — he  knows  it ;  he  feels  it.  An 
appalling  sense  of  loss  has  overwhelmed  him.  Loss 
of  prestige?  Yes,  more  than  that.  Loss  of  self- 
respect?  More  than  that.  He  has  lost  that  which  is 
the  most  precious  thing  in  life  to  one  who  is  a  man 
after  God's  own  heart.  He  has  lost  the  sense  of  God. 
There  are  chills  in  the  veins  where  once  were  thrills. 
Formerly  his  whole  being  was  dynamic  with  the  pres- 
ence, purpose  and  power  of  the  Almighty.  Now  it  is 
in  a  state  of  decline.  A  clot  of  human  wilfulness  has 
obstructed  the  flow  of  Divine  Willingness.  So  his 
soul  breaks  out  in  the  agonizing  confession — "Against 
Thee,  Thee  only  have  I  sinned." 

The  humanities  are  not  enough.  We  have  got  to 
go  deeper  if  a  cure  of  souls  or  of  society  is  to  be 
effected.  Our  sin  is  against  humanity  only  because  it 
was  first  against  God.  "Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy 
God"  then  wilt  thou  surely  "love  thy  neighbor  as  thy- 
self." I  wish  we  might  all  have  the  courage  to  go 
with  our  sin  (personal,  social,  industrial,  political,  in- 
ternational) into  the  very  presence  of  God,  for  only 
there  shall  we  find  redemption  and  rest  for  the  soul. 
Satan  threw  dust  into  the  eyes  of  the  first  dwellers 
in  a  garden  of  the  ideal,  to  blind  them  to  the  real 
nature  of  their  folly.  He  led  them  to  believe  that  they 
were  stealing  a  march  on  God,  that  they  were  making 
way  with  something  that  belonged  to  Him.  Whereas, 
as  a  matter  of  actual  fact,  they  were  plucking  some- 


80  The  Meaning  of  Life 

thing  that  already  belonged  to  them,  something  that 
God  had  planted  in  Eden  expressly  for  them — but  they 
were  picking  it  before  it  was  ripe.  That  is  the  essence 
of  the  story  of  the  fall.  Out  of  the  Infinite  heart  a 
willingness  to  share  with  the  creature  the  prerogatives 
of  the  Creator  had  already  started  earthward.  It 
flowed  as  sweet  and  pure,  as  freely  and  fully  as  the 
river  that  *Vent  out  of  Eden  to  water  the  garden." 
Life  in  all  of  its  divineness  was  in  its  touch,  human 
fruition  floated  upon  its  bosom  as  fertility  upon  the 
Nile.  All  would  have  been  Adam's  and  Eve's,  even 
to  "being  as  God,"  but  for  a  credulity  that  believed 
Satan's  lie  and  a  human  wilfulness  that  dammed  back 
Divine  health.  It  was  an  early  case  of  what  Dr. 
Lyman  Abbott  has  denominated  "the  denial  of  life," 
which  thought  he  drove  home  and  clinched  in  a  Lenten 
editorial  thus : 

"Here  we  come  face  to  face  with  the  most  terrible 
aspect  of  sin;  all  imagery  of  the  spirit  of  evil  is  ex- 
ternal and  crude  in  the  presence  of  the  truth  that  it  is 
the  denial  of  God,  the  betrayal  of  the  soul.  As  a 
father  suffers  with  the  son  who  has  committed  a  crime 
and  shares  in  spirit  his  shame  and  punishment,  so  God 
suffers  for  the  sins  of  the  world.  The  supreme  agony 
of  the  cross  was  not  pain  of  body  but  anguish  of  soul 
that  men  should  strike  down  the  hands  that  held  out 
to  them  purity,  freedom,  love  and  peace,  and  choose 
hatred,  corruption  and  strife  in  their  place." 

"The  boy  who  breaks  the  law  of  the  school  thinks 
he  is  asserting  his  freedom  by  defeating  arbitrary 
authority  and  does  not  know  he  is  cheating  himself. 


What  Is  Sinf  81 

The  discipline  which  he  tries  to  evade  was  devised  for 
the  scholar,  not  the  master;  it  embodies  the  larger 
experience  of  older  men  eager  to  fit  him  for  tasks  and 
opportunities  which  he  neither  foresees  nor  under- 
stands. Sin  is  always  denial,  not  only  of  God,  but  of 
our  divinest  possibilities;  in  disobedience  of  the  laws 
of  God  we  buy  our  freedom  instead  of  asserting  it, 
narrow  life  instead  of  broadening  it,  and  cheat  our- 
selves instead  of  evading  God." 

What  about  our  spiritual  circulation  ?  Let  me  speak 
frankly  and  personally.  Have  the  arteries  hardened? 
Has  a  clot  of  dollars  or  deeds  shut  off  the  sense  o£ 
God?  Has  the  slowing  up  in  the  flow  of  the  Spirit 
and  Will  of  God  already  manifested  itself  in  some 
form  of  delinquency?  Perhaps  the  decline  has  not 
gone  so  far  as  yet.  It  may  be  that  the  only  alarming 
symptom  thus  far  noticed  is  a  feeling  of  listlessness. 
Well,  what  are  we  going  to  do  about  it?  Whither 
shall  we  turn  for  a  cure?  Two  schools  of  quackery 
advertise  that  they  will  guarantee  to  relieve  the  pangs, 
of  conscience :  the  one  lays  upon  society  responsibility^ 
for  all  individual  lapses;  the  other,  being  more  psy- 
chological in  its  treatment,  proclaims  the  supremacy 
of  instinct  and  holds  that  it  is  wrong  for  God  or  for; 
man  to  interfere  with  eager  wishes.  Pay  your  moneys 
and  take  your  choice.  But  remember  there's  death  in 
either  cup. 

God  give  us  the  sincerity  and  the  courage  of  this 
royal  sinner  to  face  the  facts  and  to  exert  the  faith  that 
removes  microbes  as  well  as  mountains,  that  remedies 
causes  as  easily  as  consequences. 


82  The  Meaning  of  Life 

I  pass  to  a  brighter  side  of  the  problem  of  soul-cure. 
Fortunately,  sin,  as  a  rule,  impairs  without  totally 
destroying  spiritual  circulation.  David  was  so  moved 
by  this  fact  that  his  gratitude  spilled  over  in  song. 
We  live  in  a  friendly  universe.  I  cut  my  finger  and 
thanks  to  the  circulation  pure  blood  rushes  at  once  to 
my  assistance,  filling  and  healing  the  wound.  I  bark 
a  tree  in  my  wood-lot  and  within  an  hour  I  observe 
that  the  sap  has  filled  the  gash  and  the  tree  is  well  on 
the  road  to  complete  recovery.  So  generous  is  nature 
in  this  ministry  of  healing  that  her  remedial  agencies 
work  more  rapidly  in  a  great  crisis  than  they  do  in 
normal  circumstances.  Wounds  which  in  everyday 
life  would  result  in  death  before  the  arrival  of  a 
physician  are  not  nearly  so  deadly  in  war.  On  the 
battlefield  men  have  lived  for  hours  with  a  gaping 
wound  that  would  have  quickly  taken  them  off  had  it 
been  received  on  the  farm  or  in  the  mill.  This  is 
accounted  for  on  the  ground  that  the  very  intenseness 
of  the  crisis  quickens  the  circulation  and  makes  the 
oozing  blood  more  promptly  thicken  into  an  air-tight, 
germ-proof  covering  over  the  wound. 

Exactly  the  same  phenomenon  is  observed  in 
spiritual  circulation.  When  wrong  has  been  done  and 
the  soul  is  mortally  wounded  God's  Spirit  and  Will 
rush  in  to  fill  the  wound.  The  greater  the  moral  crisis 
the  more  active  and  effectual  are  the  saving  forces. 
A  more  acute  crisis  could  scarcely  be  conceived  than 
that  which  had  arisen  in  David's  life.  Not  in  the 
exalted  moment  of  military  triumph,  prophetic  anoint- 
ing or  kingly  grandeur  had  he  been  as  supremely 
conscious  of  the  presence,  power  and  love  of   God 


What  Is  Sin?  83 

as  in  the  moment  of  abject  humiliation  and  defeat. 

The  striking  thing  about  the  phenomenon  is  this : 
God's  saving  health  actually  produces  physical  symp- 
toms. Step  back  into  the  privacy  of  solemn  and  sacred 
memories.  Think  of  the  time  when  you  were  on  the 
verge  of  committing  a  heinous  sin.  You  had  flirted 
with  temptations  which  led  you  on  step  by  step  until 
in  a  fateful  moment  you  were  almost  overwhelmed. 
In  that  moment  of  crisis  you  were  suddenly  seized 
with  violent  trembling,  you  broke  out  in  a  cold  sweat 
and  you  experienced  such  a  sudden  and  pronounced 
spiritual  recoil  that  the  evil  desire  passed  out  of  your 
life.  As  you  look  back,  tell  me,  did  you  not  feel  at 
the  time  as  though  a  strong  hand  had  snatched  you 
as  a  brand  from  the  burning? 

You  see,  we  are  discoursing,  not  upon  mysticism 
but  upon  the  most  mysterious  of  all  the  mighty  facts 
of  a  benevolent  universe.  What  saved  your  soul  in 
that  awful  day?  May  I  tell  you?  It  was  God's  own 
life  flowing  down  to  your  succor.  Sin  had  not  com- 
pletely severed  the  artery.  By  a  supreme  effort  of 
love  God's  vital  energy  got  by  the  deposits  of  sin  that 
dammed  the  channel  and  His  saving  health  flooded 
every  moral  and  spiritual  tributary  of  your  being. 

Notwithstanding  all  theories  to  the  contrary,  here  is 
evidence  we  are  obliged  to  recognize — that  God  is  work- 
ing in  us  to  will  and  to  do  of  His  good  pleasure.  Even 
the  blatant  sinner  who  condones  the  wrong  he  has  done 
with  the  excuse  "God  made  me  thus"  has  the  witness 
within  himself  that  God  did  nothing  of  the  kind. 

Surely  no  one  who  has  known  the  varying  condi- 


84  The  Meaning  of  Life 

tions  of  spiritual  health  and  moral  infirmity  can  ever 
forget  the  wondrous  realization  of  the  presence  of  God 
that  overwhelms  the  soul  at  a  time  of  moral  crisis. 


Such  experiences,  although  painful,  should  be  a 
source  of  assurance.  They  prove  beyond  any  question 
that  spiritual  life  has  not  been  destroyed,  it  has  only 
been  interrupted.  It  is  this  that  accounts  for  man's 
marvelous  power  of  moral  recuperation,  a  fact  set 
forth  in  that  very  reassuring  proverb,  ''A  righteous 
man  falleth  seven  times  and  riseth  up  again,  but  the 
wicked  pass  on  to  destruction/'  *'What — a  righteous 
man  fall?"  Regretfully  yes.  The  Davids  in  every 
generation  are  legion.  What  then  is  the  difference 
between  the  good  man  and  the  bad  man?  In  a  word 
this :  you  cannot  keep  a  good  man  down.  When  a 
righteous  man  falls  he  gets  up.  A  divine  instinct 
within  fills  him  with  horror  at  the  wrong  he  has  com- 
mitted, producing  a  recoil  so  pronounced  that  it  Ht- 
erally  straightens  him  up.  When  the  wicked  man 
falls,  on  the  other  hand,  having  effectually  cut  him- 
self off  from  God  by  wilful  and  persistent  sinning, 
he  is  dow^n  and  out.  Not  that  every  so-called  down- 
•and-outer  is  in  this  extreme  plight,  for  at  the  point 
where  our  circulation  breaks  down,  at  the  very  point 
-where  the  inescapable  logic  of  the  natural  order  makes 
an  end  there  the  Logos,  the  Christ  of  the  supernatural 
order  makes  His  beginning.  Hear  me,  friend,  for 
your  soul's  eternal  good !  The  Great  Physician  whom 
I  represent  has  come  for  the  express  purpose  of  curing 
the  incurable.     Here  again  the  process  is  as  simple  as 


What  Is  Sin?  85. 

it  is  wonderful.  I  want  you  to  see  this  process  in  its 
simple  yet  transcendent  reality.  So  let  me,  for  a  mo- 
ment, swing  your  thought  far  away  from  the  matter 
of  immediate  concern. 

The  other  day,  in  company  with  fellow  directors,  I 
spent  several  hours  examining  blueprints  of  a  proposed 
water  system  for  the  Polytechnic  Institute  of  Porto 
Rico.  You  would  be  astonished,  if  not  staggered,  at 
the  almost  infinite  detail  involved  in  such  an  under- 
taking. These  drawings  represented  many  months  of 
labor  upon  the  part  of  surveyors,  draftsmen  and  other 
experts.  The  capacity  and  elevation  of  the  mountain 
supply  had  to  be  ascertained;  the  ten-mile  water- 
course  over  hills  and  through  valleys  had  to  be  charted, 
the  pressure  at  every  point  exactly  figured  out,  and  the 
size  and  thickness  of  all  pipings  determined.  Every 
elbow,  tie,  union,  valve  and  water  gate  from  the 
mountain  reservoir  to  the  Institute  grounds  was  noted. 
It  seemed  a  gigantic  piece  of  engineering. 

Suppose,  now,  that  when  this  water  system  is  com- 
pleted  a  break  occurs  somewhere  in  the  main.  Sup- 
pose that  instead  of  proceeding  on  its  predestined  way 
to  San  German  the  water  should  strike  off  across 
country  to  the  sea.  What  then?  Will  the  Board 
abandon  the  project  ?  That  is  most  unlikely  since  water 
in  Porto  Rico  is  as  precious  as  it  was  in  Palestine 
when  Jacob  dug  his  well.  Will  this  system  be  aban- 
doned and  another  installed?  Not  unless  we  have 
more  money  than  good  judgment  and  perseverance. 
The  probable  way  of  dealing  with  such  a  situation 


86  The  Meaning  of  Life 

will  be  this :  Experts  will  be  sent  from  the  States  and 
the  trouble  will  be  located.  If  the  break  proves  to  be 
serious  and  beyond  mending  the  broken  section  of 
pipe  will  be  taken  up  and  a  brand  new  section  will  be 
substituted. 

Souls  are  more  precious  to  God  than  water  to  the 
Porto  Ricans.  It  has  cost  God  infinitely  more  time 
and  effort  to  install  a  divine  order  in  human  society. 
When  something  goes  wrong  in  the  flow  of  the  Divine 
Will,  God  endeavors  to  make  repairs.  When  the  case 
IS  beyond  repairs  He  resorts  to  substitution.  He  re- 
moves the  "old  man"  and  installs  the  "new  man." 
Even  when  sin  has  completely  wrecked  the  flow  of 
■God*s  Spirit  and  Will  in  me,  by  some  means  or  other 
teown  only  to  God  Himself,  He  is  able  to  substitute 
Jesus  for  the  broken  section  in  my  life.  Thus  He  be- 
comes our  Saviour  in  very  truth,  as  spiritual  circula- 
tion begins  anew.  A  truth  like  this,  indubitable,  sup- 
ported by  innumerable  verifying  experiences,  needs  no 
defense. 

Friend,  how  can  you  doubt  the  power  of  Christ  to 
restore  the  soul  to  normalcy  in  an  age  when  surgeons 
are  working  such  miracles  of  healing  by  methods  of 
substitution?  We  know  something  about  matter;  we 
think  we  know  something  about  mind;  are  we  equally 
conversant  with  Spirit — Holy  Spirit — ^the  mightiest 
of  all  therapeutic  agents? 


VII 

THE  GREATEST  DAY  IN  LIFE 

''This  is  my  beloved  Son  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased/'     Mark  9 :  7. 

If  personality  is  the  greatest  fact  in  the  universe, 
as  a  well-known  biologist  affirms,  and  if,  as  another 
declares,  personality  is  essentially  an  experience,  it 
manifestly  follows  that  the  greatest  moment  in  life  is. 
when  one  experiences  for  himself  the  presence  and 
fellowship  of  a  personal  God. 

To  place  such  an  experience  within  easy  reach  of 
average  mortals  the  Transfiguration  scene  was  set. 
This  was  no  seance,  to  demonstrate  the  ability  of  a 
medium ;  it  was  a  see-once,  a  specific  revelation  of  the 
latent  ability  in  mankind.  Father  and  Son  communi- 
cated in  such  unmistakable  fashion  that  to  those  who 
observed  the  phenomenon  there  remained  no  further 
question  of  the  easy  accessibility  of  God  or  of  the 
reality  of  personal  communion  with  Him.  Hence- 
forth the  mutual  unveiling  of  personality  was  to  be 
the  supreme  credential  in  apostolic  evangelism. 

For  be  it  remembered  that  when  Peter  wrote  to  an 
agnostic  age  that  rejected  his  tale  of  the  incarnation 
and  refused  to  believe  in  Jesus'  bodily  resurrection  and 
ascension,  he  fell  back  upon  the  transcendent  and 
generally  accepted  event  to  which  he  had  been  eye- 

S7 


B8  The  Meaning  of  Life 

witness.  **We  saw  His  glory  and  heard  the  voice  and 
can  testify  that  these  things  are  true."  And  in  the 
presence  of  such  evidence  even  the  unbeUeving  were 
speechless. 

Now,  very  much  has  been  lost  to  us  because  this 
experience  of  Jesus  has  been  regarded  as  quite  unique. 
We  have  heard  many  sermons  on  the  transfiguration 
of  Christ  but  all  too  few  on  the  transfiguration  of 
human  personality.  And  thus  we  have  missed  the 
point  altogether. 

Why,  think  you,  did  Jesus  ask  witnesses  to  accom- 
pany Him  on  this  memorable  occasion?  Was  it  that 
He  might  show  off  or  was  it  that  He  might  show 
how?  Did  the  Galilean  wish  to  prove  that  He  had 
some  special  point  of  contact  with  God  which  others 
may  not  have  ?  If  such  thoughts  have  been  entertained 
they  should  be  banished  as  they  do  honor  neither  to 
the  Son  of  God  nor  to  the  sons  of  men.  Beyond  any 
doubt  the  object  of  this  mountain  withdrawal  was  that 
Christ  might  supply  each  follower  with  a  point  of 
contact  with  God  similar  to  His  own. 

There  is  no  evidence  that  Jesus  ever  did  anything 
with  the  thought  of  dazzling  man  with  the  exceeding 
brightness  of  His  glory  with  the  Father.  On  the  con- 
trary He  constantly  emptied  Himself  of  that  glory 
that  He  might  the  better  fill  others.  Peter  and  James 
and  John  were  asked  to  accompany  the  Master,  so  that, 
having  observed  Him  in  personal  communion  with  the 
Father,  they  might  be  able  to  tell  the  world  how  any 
one  may  enjoy,  in  some  degree  at  least,  the  same  sweet 
intimacy. 


The  Greatest  Day  in  Life         89 

Such  is  the  angle  from  which  I  would  have  you 
view  this  transcendent  bit  of  biography.  At  this  mo- 
ment there  are  personal  messages  trembling  in  air  for 
every  man,  woman  and  child  before  me.  God  is  en- 
deavoring to  get  a  message  across  an  adamantine  zone 
of  silence  to  you  and  to  you — a  message  none  will 
ever  hear  unless  you  hear  it.  God  would  say  to  you, 
dear  heart,  'This  is  my  beloved  child  in  whom  I  am 
well  pleased."  But  He  cannot  say  it  audibly  so  long 
as  the  conditions  are  not  right. 

The  trouble  is  we  have  erected  too  many  tabernacles 
upon  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration  when  we  should 
have  erected  them  in  our  own  hearts.  For  the  time 
being  may  we  not  forget  Moses  and  Elias  and  Jesus 
and  think  of  ourselves?  If,  through  the  good  office 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  any  word  of  mine  shall  enable  you 
to  hear  the  message  God  intends  for  you  I  shall  be 
more  than  thankful,  for  then  will  you  descend  from 
a  mount  of  transfiguration  to  face  the  perplexities  of 
to-morrow  in  a  spirit  and  with  a  faith  and  fortitude 
hitherto  unknown.  Aye,  you  may  be  able  to  take  up 
a  cross  even  with  a  certain  measure  of  joy  when  you 
have  heard  Him  say,  "This  is  my  beloved  Son  in 
whom  I  am  well  pleased." 

And,  mark  you,  I  am  not  dealing  with  some  mystical 
element  in  this  transfiguration  scene.  I  concern  myself 
wholly  with  the  practical  aspects  of  a  very  precious 
reality.  The  mysteries  of  communication  between  God 
and  the  individual  are  past  finding  out.  In  fact,  we 
do  not  quite  comprehend  conversation  with  one  an- 
other.      Psychologists    account    for    the    intercourse 


90  The  Meaning  of  Life 

enjoyed  in  a  public  assembly  such  as  this  on  the  ground 
that  the  hearer's  personality  actually  leaves  the  body 
sitting  in  the  pew  and  takes  its  place  beside  the  speaker 
and  vice  versa.  Personality  somehow  contrives  to 
depart  from  its  normal  orbit  and  to  intersphere  itself 
with  another  personality.  Without  attempting  to 
comprehend  this  amazing  feat,  I  entertain  the  belief 
that  our  Lord  employed  some  such  means  of  com- 
munication in  the  instance  before  us.  Upon  which 
assumption  I  venture  to  suggest  how  this  same  means 
may  be  employed  by  any  one  with  relatively  satisfying 
results.  Two  words  are  sufficient  to  outline  the 
process. 

First,  there  must  be  detachment.  To  receive  a  per- 
sonal message  one  must  insulate  oneself,  so  to  speak. 
Observe  how  exceedingly  particular  Jesus  was  about 
this.  Not  only  did  He  withdraw  from  city  and 
plain  and  multitude — He  withdrew  from  three- fourths 
of  His  chosen  disciples.  I  daresay  those  left  behind 
might  have  short-circuited  the  Father's  message  by 
some  trivial  cavil,  as  Peter  almost  did  by  his  over- 
zealous  building-proposal.  The  Master  was  at  great 
pains  to  insulate  Himself.  Had  He  not  done  so  the 
heavens  would  have  been  brass. 

Friend,  if  I  were  to  tell  you  that  by  stretching  a 
wire  from  the  wall  on  my  right  to  the  wall  on  my  left 
and  by  putting  a  pair  of  receivers  to  my  ears  I  could 
hear  the  wireless  messages  from  Washington  or  Paris, 
without  the  aid  of  aerial  wires  upon  the  roof  of  our 
church,  would  you  believe  me?  "Surely,"  you  reply,  "I 
can  believe  almost  anything  about  wireless."    But  what 


The  Greatest  Day  in  Life         91 

would  be  the  first  condition  of  such  long  distance  serv- 
ice?   Would  it  not  be  good  insulation? 

Now  suppose  I  announced  in  this  presence  that  by 
insulating  yourself  from  pernicious  books,  from  pre- 
conceived notions,  from  philosophic  abstractions,  from 
business  entanglement  and  from  other  people,  you 
may,  here  and  now,  in  this  very  room  or  yonder  in 
your  bedchamber,  get  a  message  direct  from  God,  could 
you  believe  that?  Well,  such  is  my  unqualified  dec- 
laration. And  God's  messages  are  of  such  high  power 
that  they  can  penetrate  every  wall  of  partition,  every 
intellectual  barrier,  every  human  limitation. 

Are  we  so  wise  about  electricity,  so  obedient  to  every 
known  natural  law  and  at  the  same  time  so  ignorant 
about  the  greatest  thing  in  life,  so  regardless  of  every 
law  of  spiritual  communication  ?  How  long  will  intel- 
ligence continue  to  accept  with  such  ready  credence  the 
things  of  time  and  dismiss  with  such  easy  disbelief 
the  biggest  thing  that  beckons  from  beyond  the  thres- 
hold of  eternity?  There  is  exactly  as  much  sense  in 
denying  the  possibilities  of  wireless  transmission  as  in 
denying  the  possibility  of  direct  and  personal  communi- 
cation between  God  and  man.  I  beseech  you  to  cut 
loose  from  whatever  has  short-circuited  God's  mes- 
sages. This  do  and  the  greatest  day  of  life  will  dawn 
upon  you. 

How  a  child  came  to  enjoy  one  of  these  great  days 
is  touchingly  told  by  Dr.  Swain  whose  little  boy 
wouldn't  pray.  His  father  was  greatly  distressed,  be- 
cause he  feared  that  the  child  had  inherited  his  own 
earlier  skeptical  tendencies.     By  entreaty  and  example 


92  The  Meaning  of  Life 

he  sought  to  correct  the  abnormality  but  with  poor 
success.  But  one  day  when  the  lad  stood  looking  out 
of  the  study  window  his  father  laid  aside  the  book 
he  was  reading  and  pointing  to  the  orchard  where 
apple  trees  were  in  blossom  he  said :  "Isn't  this  a  beau- 
tiful world?" 

"Yes,  Papa." 

"Well,  who  made  it?" 

"Why,  God,  of  course." 

"Wouldn't  my  little  man  like  to  talk  to  God  and 
thank  Him  for  making  such  a  beautiful  world?" 

"But,  Daddy,  I  can't  talk  to  God.  Nobody  can  talk 
to  God.  God  is  way  up  there  in  heaven  and  He 
couldn't  hear  a  little  boy  down  here." 

"But  my  boy  is  mistaken.  God  is  here ;  He  is  right 
out  there  among  the  apple  trees.    Can't  you  see  Him?'* 

"No,  Papa — and  you  can't  either." 

"But  He  is  there,"  said  Dr.  Swain.  "Yes,  and  He 
is  right  here  in  a  little  boy's  heart." 

"Well,  I  can't  jump  down  my  throat  to  talk  to 
God,"  came  the  quick  retort. 

"I  perceived  at  once,"  says  Dr.  Swain,  "that  I  had 
undertaken  a  real  task.  So  I  said,  Charlie,  do  you 
believe  Papa  loves  you?" 

"Sure  I  do." 

"How  do  you  know  he  loves  you?" 

"Why,  I  can  see  it." 

"You  mean  you  can  see  Papa's  love?" 

"Yes." 

"Are  you  right  sure  you  see  it?" 

"Huh-huh." 

"Well,  then,  put  your  finger  on  it." 


The  Greatest  Day  in  Life         93 

For  a  moment  the  child  looked  puzzled,  then  his  arm 
went  round  his  father's  neck  as  he  said,  *Why,  Papa 
loves  me  all  over." 

"Yes,  but  put  your  finger  on  the  exact  spot  where 
the  love  is." 

Again  the  perplexed  look — ^then:  "Well,  I  can't 
really  see  it,  but  it's  there  just  the  same." 

"No,  you  cannot  see  love  and  you  cannot  see  me." 

"Why,  Papa,  I  can !"  said  Charlie  as  he  drew  back 
astonished  that  his  father  could  tell  such  a  lie. 

"Very  well,  put  your  finger  on  me.     Where  am  I?" 

A  little  hand  flew  out  and  gently  struck  the  father's 
face.     "Why,  there  you  are." 

"No,  that  isn't  Papa.  That  is  nothing  but  dirt.  Did 
you  think  Papa  was  dirt?" 

"N-o,"  uncertainly. 

Looking  down  into  the  wondering  eyes  the  doctor 
went  on,  "Charlie  cannot  see  Papa  and  Papa  cannot 
see  Charlie.  This  is  a  wonderful  bone-box,"  putting 
a  hand  on  the  boy's  head.  "When  I  talk  to  you  do 
I  speak  to  a  bone-box?" 

"No,  Papa." 

"What  a  queer  piece  of  gristle,"  touching  an  ear. 
"Am  I  only  talking  to  gristle  now?" 

The  lad  shook  his  head. 

"Well,  where  is  my  little  man,  anyway?" 

"Gee,  Papa,  I  don't  know.     Where  am  I?" 

"Listen,  then,  I  will  try  to  tell  you.  Love,  like 
spirit,  is  not  material,  it  is  experience.  My  love  knows 
your  love,  not  as  bone-box  or  gristle  but  as  something 
we  feel  and  perceive,  in  fact  just  as  we  know  God  and 
His  love.     See?" 


94  The  Meaning  of  Lije 

After  a  moment's  reflection  the  child  was  on  his 
knees,  and  a  little  later  he  looked  up  from  a  book  of 
Bible  pictures  and  announced,  'Tapa,  I  have  just  been 
talking  to  God,  and  do  you  know  what  God  said?" 

"Well,  what  did  God  say?" 

"He  said,  'Charlie,  you  are  a  nice  little  boy/  " 

There's  peace  for  you — a  peace  that  passeth  under- 
standing but  not  experience.  What  had  this  wise 
father  done?  Simply  insulated  a  youthful  mind  that 
had  somehow  become  short-circuited.  On  the  Mount 
Jesus  rendered  a  like  service  on  a  broader  and  grander 
scale,  not  to  three  disciples  only  but  to  all  man- 
kind. 

The  other  word  is  attachment.  Jesus  not  only 
detached  Himself  from  human  limitations  but  He 
attached  Himself  to  God.  That  is  to  say  He  found 
a  point  of  good  cont^tct.  Did  you  ever  stop  to  reflect 
upon  the  reason  for  the  presence  of  Moses  and  Elias? 
Did  Christ  need  Moses  and  EHas  as  intermediaries  in 
prayer  ?  No,  He  did  not,  but  the  disciples  did.  Natu- 
rally, His  was  a  closer  communion  with  God  than  that 
of  the  best  human  being.  For  the  very  reason  that 
the  disciples'  contact  was  so  poor  Jesus  sought  to 
demonstrate  how  perfect  contact  might  be  obtained 
by  imperfect  men.  Who  were  Moses  and  Elias? 
Men  who  had  been  transfigured,  men  who  had  gotten 
closer  to  God  than  the  average  mortal. 

Let  me  visualize  the  thought  I  have  in  mind. 

In  the  earlier  wireless  installation  there  was  a  con- 
trivance which,  although  small,  was  the  heart  of  the 
outfit.    The  outfit  might  cost  millions  but  without  this 


The  Greatest  Day  in  Life         95 

little  instrument  it  was  worthless.  And  yet  it  was  the 
cheapest  thing  in  the  entire  installation.  It  cost  but  one 
dollar  and  a  half.  It  looked  like  a  small  pillbox  made 
of  isinglass.  In  the  bottom  of  this  little  box  was  a  bit 
of  broken  rock  crystal — it  must  not  be  cut,  it  must  be 
broken,  or  it  was  useless.  Now  watch  the  operator ! 
He  first  fixes  the  receiver  on  his  ears,  then  taking  hold 
of  a  pencil-like  object  that  protrudes  from  the  cover  of 
the  pillbox  he  slowly  moves  the  point  within  around 
and  around  the  face  of  the  crystal,  all  the  while  listen- 
ing intently  for  the  first  wireless  wave,  indicating  that 
he  has  found  the  only  spot  on  the  crystal  at  which 
messages  will  come  through.  He  may  work  at  it  for 
a  half  hour  before  he  gets  a  response.  Once  the  sensi- 
tive spot  is  found  the  pencil  point  is  left  resting  upon 
it  as  the  operator  receives  and  sends  messages.  This 
little  inexpensive  instrument  is  called  a  detector. 

Now  Moses  and  Elias  were  detectors.  What  de- 
tector Moses  used  in  his  day  is  a  question,  but  it  is 
recorded  that  forty  days  and  forty  nights  elapsed 
before  a  point  of  contact  was  found  sensitive  enough 
to  gather  in  the  great  waves  of  Divine  personality 
that  came  sweeping  over  Mount  Sinai.  In  the  present 
instance  the  time  element  is  less  conspicuous  because 
a  new  and  a  living  point  of  contact  is  provided  in  the 
previous  unveiling  of  God  to  Moses  and  Elijah.  After 
His  transfiguration  Jesus  became  man's  best  detector. 
Wherefore  we  say  when  we  pray,  'Tn  the  name  of 
Christ,  Amen." 

One  may  be  equipped  with  the  best  philosophy  in 
the   world    and   with   a   religious   outfit   representing 


96  The  Meaning  of  Life 

great  expenditure  of  gray  matter,  but  without  a  de- 
tector the  entire  installation  may  be  useless  so  far  as 
the  personal  experience  of  God  is  concerned.  God 
will  still  be  an  idea  in  the  head  and  His  messages  will 
be  more  or  less  second-hand  and  garbled  in  transmis- 
sion. But  take  the  living  Christ  as  your  detector  and 
going  aside  from  the  multitude  slowly  move  Him 
from  point  to  point  of  life,  to  pleasure,  to  business, 
to  home,  to  ambition,  ideals,  practices,  until  the  most 
sensitive  spot  is  found  and  pride  is  humbled,  con- 
science becomes  tender  and  the  need  of  a  personal 
God  is  most  keenly  felt.  Then  call,  and  listen  and 
you  will  know  that  He  is,  and  that  He  is  a  rewarder 
of  them  that  diligently  seek  Him. 

One  word  more — there  is  a  crack  or  flaw  in  the  rock 
crystal  of  the  detector  in  use  at  West  End  Church. 
Strange  to  say,  messages  cannot  be  heard  over  our 
wireless  unless  the  point  of  the  detector  pencil  rests 
upon  some  part  of  the  flaw.  Is  there  not  a  reassuring 
suggestiveness  in  this  fact?  If  hitherto  no  message 
has  come  to  you  from  the  heavenly  Father  move  Jesus 
from  the  smooth,  polished  surface  of  mind  and  con- 
duct and  let  Him  rest  upon  the  flaw  in  your  life,  and 
in  all  probability  you  will  get  the  coveted  message,  so 
full  of  absolution  and  assurance,  "This  is  my  beloved' 
Son  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased." 


VIII 

THE  SUPREME  ADVENTURE 

'^Launch  out  into  the  deep.''     Luke  5  :  4. 

The  day  on  which  this  famiUar  imperative  was  first 
uttered  was  the  day  on  which  the  human  race  got  a 
fresh  start.  It  was  the  gray  dawn  of  that  larger  un- 
derstanding of  Hfe  comprehended  in  our  phrase  "a 
Christian  experience" ;  and  of  still  larger  consequences 
-^Christian  civilization.  The  haul  of  fish  was  purely 
incidental.  The  big  thing  was  the  byproduct — victori- 
ous faith. 

Once  spoken  the  words  echoed  down  the  ages  from 
generation  to  generation.  They  gripped  the  attention 
of  prophets  and  haunted  the  hearts  of  men.  They 
initiated  amazing  and  revolutionary  events.  That 
which  had  been  thought  too  fantastic  and  impossible 
to  warrant  serious  attempt  became  recorded  history. 
And  history  in  turn  became  a  flaming  beacon  to  light 
the  way  to  further  and  larger  undertakings.  Words 
of  such  moment  are  destined  to  travel  on  and  on,  so 
long  as  there  are  peaks  of  noble  aspiration  and  high 
endeavor  to  fling  them  back  upon  sensitive  souls  in 
the  valley  below. 

When  Jesus  approached  the  disciples  on  this  memo- 
rable morning  He  endeavored  to  awaken  within  them 
a  triumphing  faith.     He  sought  to  provoke  them  to 

97 


98  The  Meaning  of  Life 

attempt  the  impossible.  They  had  been  fishing  all 
night  without  success.  The  Master  found  them  stand- 
ing in  the  shallows  washing  their  nets,  after  a  night 
of  fruitless  labor.  His  words  were  abrupt,  and  to 
them  unreasonable.  ''Launch  out  into  the  deep."  The 
best  fish  were  not  to  be  found  in  the  deep;  nor  was 
the  morning  hour  a  favorable  time  for  fishing.  But 
with  unquestioning  obedience  the  tired  fishermen 
obeyed  and  were  duly  rewarded. 

Now  I  wish  to  address  this  challenge  first  of  all  to 
those  who  are  not  professing  Christians.  "Launch 
out  into  the  deep."  The  words  embody  the  first  essen- 
tial of  saving  faith.  Saving  faith  is  a  supreme  adven- 
ture. It  has  little  to  do  with  intellectual  processes. 
It  has  less  to  do  with  logic.  The  most  illogical  thing 
I  know  of  is  salvation  by  Grace.  Saving  faith  is  an 
adventure  pure  and  simple. 

In  studying  anew  the  imperatives  of  Jesus,  I  have 
come  to  realize  more  clearly  than  ever  before,  the 
utter  folly  and  weakness  of  pulpit  efforts  designed  to 
bring  the  soul  to  capitulation  by  furnishing  the  hearer 
with  vest  pocket  editions  of  theology.  That  was  not 
the  method  of  the  Great  Teacher.  "The  simplicity 
that  is  in  Christ"  is  a  Pauline  expression  much  over- 
looked. And  how  very  simple  it  all  seemed  when  we 
read  the  story  for  the  first  time.  Was  it  the  story  of 
a  palsied  man  who  sought  healing?  The  cure  was 
"Take  up  thy  bed  and  walk."  Was  it  a  withered 
member?  "Stretch  forth  thy  hand."  Was  it  leprosy? 
"Go  show  thyselves  to  the  priests."  Was  it  blind- 
ness?    "Go  wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloam."     Was  it  a 


The  Supreme  Adventure  99 

small  man  in  a  big  tree?  ''Make  haste  and  come 
down."  In  Zaccheus'  case  salvation  was  somewhere 
between  the  branches  and  the  ground.  And  so  it  has 
been  from  generation  to  generation,  history  repeating 
itself.  We  little  men  climb  the  big  trees  that  we  may 
see  Jesus.  From  the  branches  we  are  enabled  to 
observe  Him  in  the  crowd  and  we  marvel  at  His 
power.  At  last  comes  the  personal  challenge,  "Come 
down."  The  crisis  is  provoked.  We  make  the  ven- 
ture— we  reach  the  light. 

Time  was  when  I  depended  more  upon  argument 
to  persuade  men  to  accept  the  Lord  than  I  did  upon 
this  spiritual  challenge ;  I  confess  it  with  shame.  The 
older  I  grow  the  less  of  that  sort  of  preaching  I 
attempt.  There  is  already  sufficient  light  and  truth 
abroad  to  save  the  world  if  men  but  acted  thereon. 
Sad  to  relate,  there  are  hundreds  upon  hundreds  who 
have  been  logically  convinced  and  yet  they  are  desti- 
tute of  saving  faith.  And,  the  trouble  is  not  that  men 
are  in  a  dilemma  between  difficult  belief  and  easy 
doubt.  The  Author  and  Finisher  of  faith  has  diag- 
nosed the  trouble  in  unmistakable  terms.  "Ye  will 
not  come  unto  Me  that  ye  may  have  life."  It  is  not 
knowledge  or  proof  that  we  lack  but  decision. 

There  came  to  my  ears  a  rather  striking  example 
of  the  kind  of  faith  that  saves.  To  a  Captain  just 
back  from  the  front  these  words  were  addressed  by 
one  deeply  interested  in  the  extraordinary  accomplish- 
ments of  the  "Y":  "I  suppose  in  view  of  all  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  is  doing  yonder  there  really  is  not  so 
much  need  for  the  chaplain's  ministry  as   formerly." 


100  The  Meaning  of  Life 

There  followed  an  unexpected  and  beautiful  tribute 
which  any  servant  of  God  or  of  humanity  might  well 
covet  for  himself.  ''My  dear  sir,  the  mightiest  instru- 
mentality for  good  over  there  is  the  consecrated  chap- 
lain May  I  speak  quite  frankly?"  "Indeed  yes, 
Captain,  I  should  be  glad  to  have  you  do  so." 

He  continued,  "One  night  I  attended  a  religious 
meeting  with  the  lads  of  my  command.  Through  the 
message  I  was  compelled  to  face  a  decision  which  I 
had  avoided  for  some  time.  The  service  ended,  I 
sought  the  chaplain  who  had  spoken,  and  I  said  to 
him,  *You  have  no  idea  how  hard  it  is  for  one  brought 
up  as  I  have  been  to  break  through  into  an  under- 
standing of  things  which  seem  so  simple  to  you.  Can 
you  tell  me  how  one  who  received  no  Christian  instruc- 
tion in  childhood  may  come  to  some  clear  understand- 
ing of  rehgious  matters?'  In  the  most  friendly, 
almost  offhand  way  he  replied,  Why,  yes.  Captain,  I 
think  so,  but  first  let  me  inquire  if  there  is  anything 
you  believe.*  I  told  him  that  I  believed  in  the  living 
Christ  of  whom  he  had  been  speaking  that  night. 
This  time  he  fairly  shot  his  question  at  me.  'How 
much  do  you  believe  in  Him  ?  Do  you  believe  in  Him 
enough  to  ask  Him  to  show  you  how  to  break 
through?'  A  few  moments  of  hesitation,  a  few  words 
of  encouragement,  a  brief  season  of  prayer  and  I 
found  myself  grasping  the  hand  of  that  man  of  God 
with  a  gratitude  such  as  I  had  never  known  in  all  my 
life.  It  is  all  beyond  my  comprehension  but  in  less 
time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it  I  passed  from  darkness  into 
light.  And — and" — he  paused  as  though  undecided 
whether  to  tell  more.    Then  almost  bashfully  putting 


The  Supreme  Adventure         101 

his  hand  into  his  pocket  he  drew  forth  three  khaki 
Testaments  as  he  finished  the  sentence — "And  I  am 
never  without  a  few  of  these  to  hand  to  some  mother's 
son  in  the  great  moment  when  he  needs  some  one  to 
help  him  break  through." 

I  fancy  that  many  to  whom  I  speak  have  experienced 
the  Captain's  difficulties.  Launch  out  into  the  deep, 
my  friend,  for,  if  you  will  believe  one  who  knows  by 
experience,  that  which  you  seek  is  not  to  be  found 
near  shore. 

The  first  article  of  our  common  faith  is  "Come," 
and  the  last  article  is  "Go,"  and  there  is  nothing  in  the 
whole  edifice  of  Christian  thought  so  important  as 
these  two  doors.  Willingness  to  venture  is  the  key 
to  the  greatest  miracle  of  all,  the  miracle  of  grace. 
Nor  is  it  a  leap  in  the  dark  by  any  manner  of  means 
if  the  eyes  of  the  heart  are  upon  Christ. 

Then  may  I  address  the  Saviour's  words  to  those 
who  are  Christians.  Launch  out  into  the  deep,  ye  chil- 
dren of  the  Kingdom.  These  words  of  our  Lord  em- 
body the  chief  essential  of  a  working  faith.  A  prac- 
tical workable  faith  is  the  only  kind  that  the  world  will 
tolerate  in  the  new  era  dawning.  And  what  exactly 
is  a  working  faith?  It  may  be  defined  in  two  words 
— glorious  audacity.  On  the  higher  plane,  it  is  the 
same  daring  confidence  as  Dr.  Nansen  displayed  when 
he  demonstrated  his  theory  of  Arctic  Currents  by 
risking  everything,  fortune,  reputation,  life,  upon  a 
hazardous  expedition.  The  fishermen  of  our  text 
were  to  be  sent  out  two  and  two  as  sheep  among 
wolves.     They  must  face  a  scoffing  and  cruel  world 


102  The  Meaning  of  Life 

in  a  state  of  total  unpreparedness, — no  scrip,  no  shoes, 
no  sword.  And  yet  in  a  most  extraordinary  fashion 
they  were  armed  to  the  teeth.  Their  beUef  in  Christ 
was  not  abstract  but  profoundly  personal,  passionately 
daring.     This  lesson  by  the  sea  they  never  forgot. 

Watch  these  men.  Observe  for  example  the  bold- 
ness with  which  Peter  seizes  upon  a  spiritual  phe- 
nomenon that  baffled  the  ablest  minds  of  his  day,  in- 
terpreting and  directing  it  to  a  momentous  consum- 
mation. The  place  was  filled  with  people  gathered 
from  the  ends  of  the  earth,  whose  theological  ideas 
were  more  confused  than  are  ours  in  this  age  of  isms 
and  schism.  All  had  seen  the  wonderful  works  of 
God  but  only  one  man  present  dared  break  away  from 
denominational  tradition  sufficiently  to  plunge  into  the 
floodtide  of  Divine  fulfillment  with  the  exultant  cry, 
''This  is  that  which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet  Joel." 
This  was  sheer  audacity  and  it  was  so  branded  by 
scholars  and  the  railing  multitude.  Nevertheless 
Peter's  supreme  venture  was  the  first  outstation  in 
the  long  and  tedious  journey  to  Kingdom  coming. 
The  fisherman  had  learned  his  lesson  so  well  that  he 
caught  the  imagination  of  three  thousand  men  and 
set  them  on  fire  with  the  empowering  Holy  Spirit. 
Glorious  audacity! 

The  loss  of  this  element  from  the  faith  of  a  church 
or  any  member  thereof  is  like  depriving  a  plant  of 
that  which  is  absolutely  essential  to  life,  namely  atmos- 
phere. Had  we  not  been  living  for  the  past  fifty  years 
in  a  more  or  less  spiritual  vacuum  we  would  not  now 
be  ingulfed  in  so  much  darkness  and  death.     I  am 


The  Supreme  Adventure         103 

speaking  to  myself  as  much  as  to  others  when  I  say 
that  the  church  of  the  Living  Christ  has  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  clergymen  and  officers,  of  men  and 
women  who  are,  to  some  extent  if  not  wholly,  with- 
out a  working  faith.  From  duly  accredited  theological 
data  we  are  able  to  say  positively  where  we  came 
from  and  whither  we  are  going  but  we  are  not  quite 
sure  just  why  we  are  here.  In  such  circumstances 
naturally  there  can  be  no  spirit  of  adventure. 

Audacity  is  the  cardinal  principle  of  the  victorious 
life  wherever  you  find  it.  Who  are  the  discoverers? 
Men  of  audacity.  Men  who  leave  logic  and  argument 
behind  and  simply  launch  out  upon  an  ocean  of 
uncertainty. 

Who  are  the  inventors  ?  Men  of  glorious  audacity 
who  launch  out  into  bold  experiment  and  daring  ad- 
venture. When,  on  account  of  war  conditions,  nitrate 
was  no  longer  available  from  Chile,  such  men  reached 
up  into  the  sky  with  the  assurance  almost  of  gods  and 
hauled  in  all  they  wanted  from  the  vast  fields  of  space 
upon  improvised  rain  wagons  that  rattled  and  rumbled 
on  the  wheels  of  miniature  thunder  storms. 

Who  are  the  captains  of  industry?  Men  whom  we 
call  "plungers,"  because  they  know  how  to  launch  out 
into  vast  financial  undertakings. 

Such  are  the  men  who  make  good  in  the  world. 
You  never  find  them  fishing  near  shore.  Theirs  is  a 
working  faith.  Then  why  in  all  reason  should  not  the 
church  do  some  plunging?  Must  those  who  have  at 
their  command  Divine  and  inexhaustible  resources,  and 
only   those,    go   limping   along   through   a   world   of 


104  The  Meaning  of  Life 

opportunity  upon  the  crutches,  "Is  it  probable?''  and 
"Is  it  proven?"     Absurd! 

When  the  story  comes  to  be  written  I  beUeve  it  will 
be  the  calm  verdict  of  historians  that  the  most  stu- 
pendous achievement  of  the  twentieth  century  was  the 
discovery  of  the  unlimited.  The  unlimited  is  the  new 
dimension  of  life.  Some  nations  are  committed  to  the 
policy  of  unlimited  obligation,  others  to  a  policy  of 
unlimited  credit.  One  would  think  such  audacity  could 
produce  only  graft,  panic  and  bankruptcy.  On  the 
contrary  it  appears  to  have  produced  prosperity  the  like 
of  which  Croesus  never  knew.  I  make  bold  to  say  that 
unless  the  Church  of  the  living  God  likewise  "goes  the 
limit"  we  shall  certainly  be  cursed  with  curses  too 
numerous  and  too  hideous  to  catalogue.  The  world 
cannot  safely  put  in  a  million  dollars  and  take  out  any 
number,  unless  its  stony  heart  has  been  removed  and 
God  has  given  it  a  heart  of  flesh.  You  cannot  build 
a  new  era  upon  old  hearts  by  any  hocus-pocus  or 
alchemist's  legerdemain.  "Old  Adam  is  too  strong  for 
the  young  Melancthon."  Unlimited  credit  must  go 
hand  in  hand  with  unlimited  righteousness,  unlimited 
idealism,  and  unlimited  spirituality. 

It  must  be  clear  by  this  time  that  what  I  have  upon 
my  heart  to  say  is  this — ^the  church  of  Jesus  Christ 
must  dare  big  things.  Unless  she  does  so  she  will  be 
left  far  behind  as  the  procession  of  events  advances. 
The  world  is  away  out  yonder  in  the  deep,  to  return 
to  our  figure.  Shall  we  join  them?  If  we  make  the 
plunge  we  shall  find  our  souls  energized  as  was  Peter's. 
Within  the  church  as  now  constituted  is  latent  energy 


The  Supreme  Adventure         105 

only  waiting  to  be  released  by  the  Christ  who  stands 
in  the  midst  saying,  "Launch  out.'^ 

Brethren,  the  genius  of  Christianity  must  be  con- 
ceived anew.  The  mother  of  our  Lord  made  clear 
what  that  genius  is  when  she  said  to  the  servants  gath- 
ered at  the  marriage  in  Cana,  "Whatsoever  He  saith 
unto  thee,  do  it."  We  shall  have  no  trouble  with 
miracles  if  we  follow  the  advice  of  Mary.  We  are 
soon  to  witness  the  greatest  miracles  in  human  his- 
tory, and  I  am  sure  many  to  whom  I  speak  covet  the 
privilege  of  having  a  part  in  this  great  era  of  the 
impossible.  With  Colonel  Mosby  of  Civil  War  fame 
we  must  say,  "The  absolute  impossibility  of  success 
makes  it  possible."  Hence  the  challenge  to  make  the 
supreme  adventure.  From  this  time  forward  let  us 
devise  and  execute  on  a  scale  commensurate  with  the 
opportunties  of  a  spiritual  age. 

A  dramatic  incident  of  the  never-to-be-forgotten 
action  Northwest  of  Verdun  affords  a  keynote  for  the 
church.  All  the  traffic  in  trenches  and  on  roads  was 
blocked  by  our  own  barrage  which  fell  too  near  the 
front  line.  The  men  stood  helpless  in  mud,  amidst 
bursting  shells  and  the  rattle  of  machine  gun.  Sud- 
denly a  muffled  shout  from  far  ahead  swept  down  the 
line  through  the  driving  rain.  "Tell  the  Artillery  to 
lengthen  the  ranges.     We  are  advancing." 

It  flew  from  mouth  to  mouth  relayed  from  officer 
to  men,  from  soldier  to  truck  driver.  Within  a  minute 
and  a  half  the  message  had  reached  the  batteries,  the 
range  was  lengthened  and  the  American  forces  swept 
forward  to  victory. 


106  The  Meaning  of  Life 

The  Artillery  of  Faith  has  been  firing  too  low.  The 
highway  of  God  is  blocked  and  the  soldiers  of  the 
Cross  stand  helpless  amidst  the  din  of  things  material. 
Pass  the  word  along,  relay  it  from  lip  to  lip,  from 
heart  to  heart,  from  pulpit  to  pulpit,  from  denomina- 
tion to  denomination.  *Tell  the  Artillery  to  lengthen 
the  range;  we  are  advancing." 


IX 

THE  CRISIS  OF  AMBITION 

"One  thing  thou  lackest"     Mark  io:  21. 

A  former  United  States  Ambassador  makes  this 
notable  confession  in  the  opening  chapter  of  his  auto- 
biography: "My  life  has  been  an  intensive  struggle 
between  idealism  and  materialism.  In  youth  I  burned 
with  an  enthusiasm  for  the  ideal.  My  intention  was 
to  make  the  future  of  my  family  modestly  secure  and 
then  to  devote  my  life  to  idealistic  enterprises.  I  soon 
found,  however,  that  I  had  a  special  gift  for  making 
money.  By  the  time  I  had  secured  the  competency 
which  had  been  my  ambition  I  had  become  fascinated 
with  money-making  as  a  game.  Before  I  realized  it 
I  was  immersed  in  a  dozen  enterprises,  was  obligated 
to  a  hundred  business  friends,  and,  like  all  my  asso- 
ciates in  the  business  world,  was  going  headlong  in 
the  chase  for  wealth.  At  fifty-five  years  of  age  I 
found  myself  in  the  toils  of  materialism.  I  paused  and 
took  account  of  my  future.  I  realized  with  astonish- 
ment and  dismay  how  far  the  swift  tides  of  business 
had  swept  me  from  the  course  I  had  charted  for  my 
life.  I  was  ashamed  to  realize  that  I  had  neglected 
the  noble  path  of  duty.  Conscience  ceaselessly  con- 
fronted me  with  my  duty  to  pay  back,  in  the  form  of 
public  service,  the  overdraft  which  I  had  been  per- 
mitted to  make  upon  the  opportunities  of  the  country. 

107 


108  The  Meaning  of  Life 

Repayment  in  money  would  not  suffice;  I  was  finan- 
cially prosperous  and  rich  in  experience,  money  could 
be  repaid  by  my  executors  but  experience  I  must  repay 
myself — and  now  or  never.  So  I  resolved  to  retire 
wholly  from  active  business,  and  to  devote  the  rest 
of  my  life  to  making  good  the  better  resolutions  of 
my  youth." 

In  this  frank  confession  Henry  Morgenthau  fur- 
nishes, I  believe,  the  true  perspective  of  the  picture 
upon  which  we  gaze.  This  man  of  great  wealth  and 
high  position  is  passing  through  a  similar  period  of 
introspection.  He  finds  to  his  dismay  that  he  has  not 
been  mounting  upward,  as  he  supposed,  towards  the 
summit  of  human  achievement  but  plunging  down  a 
declivity  of  disappointment.  The  discovery  takes  all 
the  joy  out  of  life.  His  gold  becomes  leaden,  his 
honors  empty.  Into  the  very  midst  of  his  enjoyment 
of  good  things  comes  a  crashing  sense  of  obligation 
to  make  good.  He  realizes  that  henceforth  goods 
must  be  subordinated  to  the  Good,  which  he  must  find 
and  follow.  The  awakening  is  followed  by  bewilder- 
ment. Whither  shall  he  turn?  Who  will  guide  him 
to  that  Good  ?  Has  ambition  led  him  on  only  to  mock 
at  him?  Who  will  explain  the  true  meaning  of  life, 
the  mystery  of  this  mirage  called  success?  What  is 
this  intensely  real  and  irresistible  instinct  that  will  not 
suffer  one  to  be  content  with  possessions  but  fires  the 
soul  with  towering  aspirations  and  breathless  eager- 
ness to  reach  something  beyond?  What  is  ambition 
anyway  ?  Is  it  friend  or  foe,  both  or  neither  ?  A  fas- 
cinating picture  he  presents  to  us,  as  he  did  to  the 


The  Crisis  of  Ambition         109 

Master  whom  he  seeks  in  his  dilemma — so  young,  so 
candid,  so  earnest,  so  manifestly  sincere.  "And  Jesus, 
looking  upon  him,  loved  him/'  The  picture  of  a  suc- 
cessful young  man  prostrated  by  ambition  before 
Jesus  calls  forth  one  of  the  best  appraisals  ever  made 
of  life's  values  and  the  greatest  word  ever  uttered  on 
"Ambition"  because  it  has  the  ring  of  finality.  "And 
He  said,  One  thing  thou  lackest."  It  will  profit  us, 
one  and  all,  to  reflect  upon  the  implication  of  these 
four  words,  as  they  suggest  the  nature  of  ambition 
and  its  function  in  the  history  of  a  rising  soul — and 
I  may  add  of  a  rising  civilization.  First,  we  note  the 
nature  of  ambition. 

Ambition  is  a  Divine  urge.  It  is  God's  elective  call. 
It  compels  the  soul  to  press  on  to  a  predestinated  goal. 
Paul's  figure  is  tremendous  and  truthful  in  which  he 
depicts  his  own  soul  as  a  fleet  runner  in  a  race  for 
the  prize.  "I  reach  out  if  haply  I  may  lay  hold  of 
that  for  which  I  have  been  laid  hold  of  by  God." 
Ambition  is  a  "Divine"  urge — mark  that.  It  is  the 
hand  of  God  upon  the  head,  the  voice  of  God  within 
the  conscience,  the  light  of  God  within  the  mind,  the 
spirit  of  God  within  the  heart — any  one  or  all  of  these. 
Moreover,  ambition  is  an  urge  moving  in  one  direc- 
tion, namely,  the  will  of  God.  Like  electricity,  it  may 
be  short-circuited,  in  which  case  there  is  a  spectacular 
and  blinding  flash  of  success  usually  accompanied  by 
the  wave  of  notoriety — ^then,  darkness.  Make  no  mis- 
take, this  urge  is  the  beckoning  hand  of  Divine  destiny. 
Ambition  is  an  abomination  if  it  falls  short  of  the 
"one  thing"  Jesus  had  in  mind — a  worthy  goal. 


110  The  Meaning  of  Life 

Is  wealth  such  a  worthy  goal,  or  position,  or  even 
an  exemplary  life?  Wherefore,  then,  the  'What  lack 
I  yet?"  The  ruler  had  all  these,  with  youth  thrown  in 
for  good  measure,  but  the  more  he  had  the  more  ambi- 
tion urged  him  on  and  the  greater  was  its  spell  upon 
his  soul.  "On,  Soul,  on !  To  the  heights !  Stake  out 
a  larger  claim!  Here  is  not  thy  rest,  nor  here  thine 
aspiration." 

You  see,  what  this  life  lacked  was  terminal  facilities. 
It  was  on  the  right  track  but  it  never  arrived.  To  be 
sure  it  dropped  off  at  pleasant  spots  here  and  there 
but  they  were  all  way  stations. 

Half  the  world,  to  be  conservative,  is  just  like  the 
young  ruler,  tortured  by  a  sense  of  unfulfilled  destiny. 
This  is  confined  to  no  class  in  particular,  rich  and 
poor,  high  and  low,  lettered  and  illiterate — all  feel  it 
alike.  The  urge  was  never  more  strong  and  the  soul 
of  man  was  never  more  restless  and  dissatisfied  than 
at  present.  Witness  the  mad  rush  after  money.  What 
do  men  do  with  it  when  they  get  it  ?  Why,  buy  more 
money,  of  course.  Look  at  the  scramble  after  position. 
Why  are  they  so  ambitious  for  honor?  That  it  may  be 
used  as  a  stepping  stone  to  higher  honors.  Think  of 
the  insane  passion  for  power  aflame  throughout  the 
world.  Why  do  men  covet  power  ?  That  thereby  they 
may  acquire  more  power.  A  veritable  merry-go-round 
with  a  single  incentive — the  brass  ring. 

As  these  familiar  phases  of  ambition  pass  in  daily 
review  one  is  reminded  of  a  story  Huxley  told  on 
himself.  Going  to  Dublin  upon  one  occasion  to 
address  a  large  gathering  of  scientists,  his  train  mak- 


The  Crisis  of  Ambition         111 

ing  him  late  for  the  meeting,  he  jumped  into  a  jaunting 
car  and  absent-mindedly  commanded,  "Drive  as  fast  as 
you  can!"  Away  went  the  horse  at  top  speed.  After 
an  exciting  ride  the  professor  suddenly  came  to  him- 
self and  inquired,  "Where  are  we  going,  my  man?" 
"Sure,  I  don't  know,  sir,"  replied  Patrick,  "but  I'm 
going  as  fast  as  ever  I  can." 

So  goes  the  world  to-day.  We  are  driving  our- 
selves to  death  with  little  or  no  clear  notion  of  the 
objective.  There  is  motion  aplenty,  but  it  lacks  mo- 
tive. There  is  "pep"  but  it  lacks  purpose.  Ask  almost 
any  hard  driver  what  he  is  about,  why  he  is  straining 
every  nerve  to  be  wise  or  wealthy  or  influential  and 
he  will  probably  say,  "Oh,  don't  bother  me,  can't  you 
see  I  am  in  a  rush?  I  can't  stop  to  think.  I  am  late 
now  for  a  very  important  appointment." 

I  saw  a  letter  recently  which  is  characteristic  of  the 
times.  It  was  written  by  a  college  girl  to  the  folks 
back  home.  It  was  short,  to  the  point  and  penned  in 
bold,  almost  masculine,  chirography.  It  closed  with 
the  words,  "Yours  in  mad  haste."  We  all  laughed 
indulgently  over  this  example  of  youthful  up-to-the- 
minuteness.  But,  it  was,  after  all,  no  laughing  matter. 
It  is  safe  to  say  that  this  young  lady  had  not  the  re- 
motest idea  where  she  was  going,  but  she  was  surely 
on  the  way.  Fortunately  for  her  and  for  the  world 
there  will  some  day  come  just  such  an  awakening  as 
the  young  ruler  experienced. 

Long,  long  ago  there  lived  a  great  man  who  made 
himself  famous  by  preaching  a  sermon  on  the  theme 
"Every  life  a  plan  of  God."    We  have  few  such  ser- 


112  The  Meaning  of  Life 

mons    nowadays,    more's    the    pity.      Although    this 
sermon  is  now  but  a  memory  and  the  preacher  is  long 
since  dead  the  truth  he  enunciated  remains  and  its 
emphasis  is  more  needed  than  ever  before.     Every  life 
is  a  plan  of  God.     If  it  is  not  then  there  is  nothing  in 
Old  Testament  history,  nothing  in  New  Testament 
teaching,,  nothing  in  Christian  philosophy,  nothing  in 
the    forms    and    ceremonials    of    Free-Masonry   and 
similar  fraternal  orders.    Should  you  fail  to  remember 
every  other  point  of  the  message  I  hope  this  sentence 
will  stay  with  you  to  the  end  of  time.    Every  life  is 
a  plan  of  God.    Let  this  sublime  thought  flame  up  in 
the  heart.     Let  it  grip  the  ima^nation.     Let  it  ener- 
gize the  will.     Let  it  satisfy  the  hunger  of  the  soul. 
As  the  watch  in  your  pocket  was  made  to  keep 
time,  and  the  thermometer  upon  yonder  wall  was  made 
to  record  temperature,  so  the  soul  was  made  to  keep 
time  with  the  waxing  purposes  of  the  Good  God  and 
to  keep  up  such  thermal  conditions  as  are  conducive 
to  the  ripening  of  His  holy  will.    Would  you  let  your 
little  lad  have  the  parlor  clock  as  a  plaything?    Would 
you  permit  him  to  use  the  mainspring  to  run  a  toy 
locomotive?     If  so  the  clock  would  no  longer  be  a 
clock.    A  timepiece  is  a  failure  when  it  ceases  to  per- 
form the  work  for  which  it  was  designed.     A  life, 
too,  is  a  failure  when  ambition  ceases  to  function  in 
accordance  with  the  Divine  intent;  when  it  becomes 
merely  a  means  of  putting  "go"  into  things  that  soon 
vanish  away.     "Go"  is  not  bad  if  we  know  where  we 
are  going,  which  is  precisely  what  our  lovable  young 
friend  did  not  know.     This  being  the  tender  spot  in 
his  life  Jesus  touched  it  to  the  quick. 


The  Crisis  of  Ambition  113 

What  this  particular  Hfe  lacked  was  terminal  facili- 
ties. Now  how  is  it  with  us?  Here  we  are — a  com- 
pany of  fairly  ambitious  men  and  women  with  more 
or  less  success  to  our  credit.  Has  success  brought 
satisfaction?  Or  has  ambition  prostrated  us  in  the 
dust  with  disappointment  and  humiliation? 

Stephen  Girard  had  a  very  sad  boyhood.  He  was 
blind  in  one  eye.  His  father  thought  that  because  of 
this  handicap  he  wasn't  worth  educating.  So  he  edu- 
cated the  other  children  and  left  poor  Stephen  to  shift 
for  himself.  At  thirteen,  and  as  a  cabin  boy,  he  was 
dropped  down  at  the  mouth  of  the  Delaware  River. 
Providence  wafted  his  frail  life  up  the  Delaware  to 
Philadelphia  where  extraordinary  success  awaited  him, 
success  undreamed  of  by  the  boy  of  thirteen.  As 
money  rolled  in  and  ships  increased  and  his  power 
grew  great  and  he  became  known  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  land,  ambition  kept  whis- 
pering, "More,  more,  more.'*  He  could  not  silence  the 
imperious  call  with  all  the  money,  all  the  commerce,  all 
the  power  he  piled  up  around  him.  Finally  he  con- 
ceived the  idea  that  he  might  find  satisfaction  for 
ambition  by  doing  something  for  others.  So  he  built 
Girard  College,  but  with  certain  prohibitions.  **No 
religion  in  this  college,  no  Bible  in  this  college,  no  min- 
ister to  be  admitted  to  this  college." 

The  great  merchant  enjoyed  about  everything  that 
life  could  give,  and  he  thought,  as  did  others,  that  he 
was  successful.  But  long  after  death  said  "Come  with 
me"  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania 
decided  that  Stephen  Girard's  life  was,  in  certain  im- 
portant respects,  a  failure.    How  did  that  come  about  ? 


114  The  Meaning  of  Life 

Well,  a  suit  came  up  from  the  lower  courts,  originating 
in  an  effort  to  install  the  Bible  in  Girard  College,  the 
assumption  being  that  no  boy  is  capable  of  achieving 
the  best  in  life  until  he  gets  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the 
greatest  goal  of  Hfe  as  set  forth  in  the  Bible,  namely, 
finding  one's  place  in  God's  plan.  The  Supreme  Court 
in  its  wisdom  handed  down  a  decision  to  the  effect 
that  Stephen  Girard's  life  was  a  failure  because  it 
brought  him  no  satisfying  joy,  because  he  grew  tired 
of  life,  because,  with  all  his  wealth,  he  became  a 
misanthrope  and  was  despondent  to  the  day  of  his 
death;  in  fine  because  he  never  found  for  himself  the 
goal  of  ambition — the  Supreme  Good.  And  the  Bible 
went  in  and  it  is  there  to-day.  Ambition  is  a  divine 
incentive  urging  the  soul  to  reach  out  and  lay  hold 
of  the  predestined  goal  of  life. 

Quite  as  important  is  this  other  implication  of  the 
text.  Ambition  is  the  test  of  the  soiiVs  worthiness  to 
arrive  at  its  goal.  The  specific  function  of  the  soul  is 
self-control.  It  was  given  to  keep  in  even  balance  the 
spiritual  as  against  the  physical.  Ambition  tests  the 
balance  to  the  last  ounce. 

As  nothing  goes  into  a  bridge  or  a  machine  that  has 
not  been  tested  to  ascertain  whether  or  not  it  can  be 
depended  upon  to  bear  the  strain  to  which  it  will  be 
continually  subjected,  so  no  untested  life  goes  into  the 
bridge  to  Kingdom  Come  with  which  God  is  spanning 
the  gulf  of  unrighteousness.  At  the  point  where  a  life 
has  been  crystallized  by  selfishness  is  usually  the  exact 
spot  where  It  gives  way  and  breaks  down.  At  this 
point  the  young  ruler  broke.     When  he  voices   his 


The  Crisis  of  Ambition  115 

aspiration  for  kingdom  honors  Jesus  at  once  puts  the 
strain  upon  him.  His  face  becomes  clouded  and 
sorrow  becomes  his  companion  as  he  turns  from  the 
trail.  "Go  sell  all  that  thou  hast  and  give  to 
the  poor."  I  somehow  think  it  was  not  in  the  mind 
of  Christ  to  deprive  an  exemplary  man  of  all  his 
money.  I  can  imagine  no  more  likely  man  to  be  en- 
trusted with  that  money.  It  would  be  just  such  a 
lovable  person  whom  God  would  wish  to  have  invest 
money  in  Kingdom  enterprises.  I  think  God  would 
have  said,  "Young  man,  I  can  count  on  you,  I  can 
depend  on  you.  Here,  take  this  money  and  invest  it 
for  me.  I  will  make  you  my  fiduciary  officer.  I  will 
give  you  more  money  for  I  see  that  I  can  trust  you 
with  it."  Jesus  was  on  the  verge  of  giving  the  ruler 
joy  beyond  the  power  of  his  mind  to  conceive.  But, 
he  was  not  able  to  stand  the  strain  of  ambition;  self- 
interest  had  crystallized  his  life  and  it  broke  at  the 
flaw — money.  Who  knows  but  he  may  have  come 
back  later.  Let  us  hope  that  he  did.  One  dislikes  to 
think  of  the  permanent  loss  of  so  lovable  a  man  from 
the  Christ  fellowship  of  ambition. 

By  ambition  God  tested  Joseph.  Ambition  gave  him 
his  visions  of  destiny.  He  foolishly  talked  about  them. 
Such  divine  revelations  should  be  held  in  strict  confi- 
dence— they  are  state  secrets.  But  although  Joseph 
made  the  common  mistake  of  talking  too  much  he 
stood  the  test,  in  the  pit,  in  Potiphar's  house,  in  the 
clutches  of  vile  love,  in  prison  and  in  power.  His 
soul  functioned.     He  retained  his  self-control. 

It  was  by  ambition  that  God  tested  David.     He  tried 


116  The  Meaning  of  Life 

him  with  vision,  with  anointing,  with  popular  favor. 
Self-control  held  ambition  in  check  even  when  in  the 
cave  the  sleeping  Saul  was  completely  in  his  power; 
and  when  the  tempter  whispered,  "Now's  your  chance, 
David.  Knife  him!  The  throne  is  yours!"  How 
grandly  noble  the  reply,  "Who  am  I  that  I  should  put 
forth  my  hand  to  slay  the  Lord's  anointed?  I  will 
bide  God's  time."  It  is  not  hard  to  imagine  what  God 
thought.  "Here  is  a  man  I  can  trust.  Here  is  a  life 
with  which  I  can  make  history." 

The  same  is  true  of  nations.  God  tested  Israel  by 
ambition.  Said  He,  "In  thee,  O  Israel,  shall  all  of 
the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed."  A  dangerous 
thing  to  tell  any  nation,  even  America.  Israel  believed 
it.  But  unfortunately  she  misunderstood  the  divine 
intent.  Instead  of  getting  the  idea  that  she  was  to  be 
the  channel  through  which  blessings  would  flow  unto 
others  she  entertained  the  notion  that  she,  the  favored 
child  of  heaven,  was  to  be  the  recipient  of  the  bless- 
ings. Israel  broke  under  the  strain  of  ambition.  And 
God  passed  her  by  with  the  mental  comment,  "I  cannot 
trust  this  people.     I  will  try  the  Gentiles." 

In  like  manner  our  twentieth  century  civilization  Is 
being  tested.  I  wonder  if  we  shall  endure.  I  wonder, 
can  London  stand  the  strain?  Will  Paris  be  able  to 
endure  it  ?  Is  Washington  able  to  survive  the  testings 
of  national  ambition?  Will  the  soul  of  the  nation 
function?  These  are  exceedingly  vital  questions  I  am 
asking.  God  is  surely  testing  us.  He  is  testing  you, 
Mr.  Business-man,  and  you,  Mr.  President,  and  you, 
Mr.  Secretary,  and  you.  Doctor  of  Divinity.  He  Is 
testing  the  nations  of  the  earth  by  ambition.     He  is 


The  Crisis  of  Ambition  117 

saying  to  one  and  all,  ''You  shall  be  great  and  in  you 
shall  the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed/'  Can  we 
stand  the  strain  of  so  ambitious  an  outlook  or  will  the 
vision  make  us  too  reckless?" 

Ambition  devoid  of  self-control  is  full  of  peril. 
How  well  Shakespeare  voiced  the  thought  in  those 
classic  words  wrung  from  the  lips  of  Cardinal 
Wolsey,  ''Cromwell,  I  charge  thee,  fling  away  ambi- 
tion for  by  it  the  angels  fell." 

What  shall  I  do  for  a  living?  How  many  are 
asking  that  question.  Better  say,  "What  shall  I  do 
with  my  life?"  The  needle  in  the  compass  box  must 
be  polarized  before  it  will  point  to  the  North.  But 
when  once  it  is  polarized  you  can  trust  it  in  storm  or 
in  calm,  in  the  darkness  as  in  the  light.  Each  life 
ambition  must  be  polarized  if  one  would  be  sure  of 
making  port.  There  is  no  surer  way  to  accomplish 
this  than  by  bringing  ambition  into  vital  touch  with 
the  magnetic  life  of  Jesus.  This  the  young  ruler 
failed  to  do.  He  came  running  but  departed  sorrow- 
ful. Like  many  another  he  utterly  misunderstood 
what  Jesus  wants  of  men  on  earth  and  why  He  calls 
us  o'er  the  tumult. 

Shall  I  make  bold  to  assign  for  you  the  best  pos- 
sible goal  for  ambition  ?  Listen  then :  "The  chief  end 
of  man  is  to  glorify  God  and  enjoy  Him  forever." 
There  you  have  it,  in  words  which  have  stood  the  test 
of  centuries.  Fix  the  eyes  of  your  ambition  upon  that 
goal.  You  will  find  that  in  this  sentiment  even  duty 
and  drudgery  have  been  set  to  music. 

Hear  this.     Roger  W.  Babson,  who  is  held  in  such 


118  The  Meaning  of  Life 

high  regard  throughout  the  business  and  financial 
world,  makes  this  "Personal  Confession'*  in  his  recent 
book,  ''Enduring  Investments." 

"One  Saturday  night  I  returned  from  what  most 
people  would  have  called  a  very  successful  two  months' 
trip.  I  had  been  given  luncheons  by  the  leading 
Chambers  of  Commerce  of  the  country,  and  had 
spoken  to  numerous  very  large  audiences,  where  thou- 
sands had  been  turned  away.  All  my  talks  had  caused 
favorable  comment  in  the  newspapers.  While  away 
I  had  been  elected  to  positions  of  power  and  influence 
by  some  of  America's  large  corporations.  Moreover, 
on  my  desk — upon  my  return — was  a  report  showing 
that  my  business  had  just  completed  its  most  pros- 
perous year,  earning  profits  many  times  greater  than 
I  had  ever  expected. 

"Notwithstanding  these  things  which  are  commonly 
called  'success'  I  was  tired  and  half  sick.  The  next 
day  on  my  way  to  church,  I  stopped  in  at  the  local 
drug  store  to  tell  the  proprietor,  'Tom  West,'  as  he 
is  commonly  called,  my  troubles.  I  asked  for  some 
aspirin  or  something  of  the  kind  which  he  slowly  tied 
up  and  gave  to  me.  As  I  turned  to  go  out,  he  called 
out: 

"  'Roger,  you  think  you  are  prosperous,  but  I  say 
you  are  a  damn  fool!' 

"For  some  days  this  thought  clung  to  me  until  it 
seemed  as  if  friend  Tom  was  right.  Property  con- 
sists not  in  fame,  power  or  money.  Jesus  said,  'First 
seek  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  and  all  these  other  things 
will  be  added  unto  you.'  'Tom  West'  certainly  made  me 
think  about  many  things,  among  them  these: 


The  Crisis  of  Ambition         119 

*'Once  I  had  plenty  of  time  for  my  only  child. 
When  I  became  prosperous  she,  of  course,  went  away 
to  a  boarding  school.  When  I  started  business  there 
was  plenty  of  time  to  go  to  Gloucester  to  see  my 
father  and  mother.  But  when  I  became  prosperous  I 
had  no  time  for  them.  ...  As  for  happiness,  I 
envied  the  squirrels  running  about  my  place.  I  had 
been  rated  by  Dun  and  Bradstreet  but  now  I  had  God's 
ratings.    Tom  West  was  right.     T  was  a  fool.' 

"Before  another  week  had  gone  by  I  had  turned 
over  a  new  leaf.  Men  should  live  to  produce.  But 
the  great  thing  that  we  are  called  upon  to  produce  is 
a  real  and  full  life." 

The  Crisis  of  Ambition  is  what  the  ruler  faced  that 
day  when  he  stood  before  Jesus. 

Some  such  crisis  must  surely  present  itself  to  every 
truly  ambitious  person  sooner  or  later.  In  one  form 
or  another  will  come  the  moral  challenge  to  find 
oneself  and  to  find  one's  place  in  Christ's  kingdom 
program. 

To  this  pleasure-loving  and  money -mad  age  Jesus 
is  speaking — *'One  thing  thou  lackest." 


UNFULFILLED  AMBITIONS 

''Thou  didst  well  that  it  was  in  thy  heart" 
I  Kings  8: 17. 

A  young  woman  of  my  acquaintance  came  to  this 
city  about  twenty  years  ago  seeking  a  career.  She 
was  from  the  sunny  South.  Endowed  with  a  beau- 
tiful voice,  and  having  exhausted  all  the  advantages 
of  her  home  city,  she  put  herself  under  a  well  known 
master  and  worked  with  right  good  will  to  achieve  the 
ambition  of  her  life. 

But  New  York  proved  only  a  way  station,  for  hav- 
ing spent  I  would  not  dare  say  how  much  money,  she 
set  sail  with  her  mother  for  the  other  side  in  search 
of  further  advantages.  Then  war  broke  out  and  she 
was  compelled  to  return.  To  keep  herself  in  trim  she 
engaged  a  coach  who  promised  to  add  three  brilliant 
high  notes  to  her  register.  And  he  did — but  he  com- 
pletely wrecked  her  voice.  This  wrecked  her  health 
and  wrecked  her  hopes  beyond  recovery.  Then  in  the 
good  Providence  of  God  "Mr.  Right"  appeared,  the 
nuptials  were  solemnized  and  a  would-be  star  became 
the  central  sun  of  that  solar  system,  the  Christian  home. 

Recently  she  was  bemoaning  her  fate  in  my  hearing. 
Her  life,  as  she  expressed  it,  was  an  abject  failure. 
Her  ambition  was  never  to  be  realized.    "Think  of  the 

120 


Unfulfilled  Ambitions  121 

money  I  have  thrown  away!  Think  of  the  dreams 
that  will  never  come  true!  I  have  wasted  my  life! 
I  am  so  unhappy!" 

Most  of  us  are  very  like  this  lovely  young  woman. 
I  daresay  there  are  few  before  me  who  have  not  enter- 
tained similar  depressing  views  of  life.  Your  highest 
ambitions  have  not  been  attained.  Your  dreams  are 
unrealized.  They  were  big  dreams  and  well  worth- 
while. You  dreamed  them  by  day  and  they  possessed 
your  soul  by  night.  You  toiled  over  them,  sacrificed 
for  them,  gave  yourself  unreservedly  to  the  task  of 
attaining  the  heights.  All  these  years  you  have  been 
on  your  way  and  you  have  not  arrived.  As  it  appears 
to  you,  life  is  a  failure. 

I  am  thinking  of  the  young  woman  sitting  yonder 
who  planned  to  be  a  missionary.  She  had  scarcely 
entered  college  ere  her  father  broke  down.  He  lost 
his  property  and  then  his  life.  Necessity  compelled 
her  to  forego  her  studies.  She  became  the  support  of 
her  mother.  She  brought  up  all  the  children.  For 
ten,  twenty  years  she  has  been  the  family  drudge,  or 
she  has  been  chained  to  a  typewriter.  But  the  dream 
is  still  cherished,  and  the  old  ambition  continues  gnaw- 
ing at  the  heart.  What  are  you  going  to  say  to  people 
like  that?  I  will  tell  you  what  I  am  going  to  say. 
Just  three  things,  each  suggested  by  David's  unful- 
filled ambition. 

Let  me  say  first  of  all ;  the  higher  our  ambition  the 
less  likely  is  it  to  be  fulfilled  in  a  single  lifetime.  We 
may  as  well  resign  ourselves  to  the  inevitable.     The 


122  The  Meaning  of  Life 

measure  of  the  ambition  is  the  measure  of  the  waiting 
time — and  per  contra. 

There  were  two  Davids,  you  remember;  the  David 
men  knew — the  successful  soldier,  the  statesman 
who  amalgamated  an  entire  race ;  and  the  David  whom 
David  knew,  the  unsuccessful  David,  the  David  who 
sinned  and  failed.  It  is  of  this  latter  David  that  the 
text  speaks. 

What  was  David's  supreme  ambition?  To  establish 
a  Kingdom?  Not  that.  To  lead  armies  successfully 
to  victory?  Not  that.  His  consuming  ambition  was 
to  build  a  house  for  God.  The  best  years  of  his  life 
were  spent  in  gathering  funds,  selecting  architects  and 
builders,  laying  out  plans,  assembling  timbers  and 
other  material.  And,  mark  you,  all  the  while  he 
knew  that  he  was  not  to  be  permitted  to  realize  the 
ambition  himself.  He  had  inside  information  which 
precluded  the  selfish  gratifications  which  are  so  large 
a  factor  in  petty  ambition.  For  God  said  unto  David, 
"Thou  shalt  not  build  a  house  unto  my  name,  but 
nevertheless  thou  doest  well  that  it  is  in  thy  heart. 
Thy  son  who  shall  come  forth  out  of  thy  loins,  he  shall 
build  a  house  unto  the  name  of  thy  God." 

How  many  of  us  would  carry  on  under  such  cir- 
cumstances; knowing  positively  that  we  were  not  to 
see  our  ambition  realized?  Every  one  of  us — if  we 
were  of  David's  mold. 

The  bigger  you  are  the  bigger  your  ambitions,  the 
bigger  your  ambitions  the  more  you  are  like  God,  and 
the  more  you  are  like  God  the  longer  you  have  to  wait 
for  your  ambitions   to  materialize.     How   many   of 


Unfulfilled  Ambitions  123 

God's  ambitions  have  been  realized?  Can  you  name 
one?  I  know  not  one.  The  universe  is  not  yet  fin- 
ished. The  world  is  still  being  built.  The  celestial 
and  terrestrial  are  still  growing.  In  innumerable  ways 
the  plan,  the  purpose,  the  design,  the  dreams,  the  long- 
ings of  a  loving  Heavenly  Father  find  new  and  enlarged 
expression.  And  all  take  us  by  surprise.  Can  you 
think  of  a  single  ambition  of  God's  that  has  been 
realized?  Why  did  God  come  to  this  earth  in  the 
form  of  Jesus?  To  realize  at  once  a  long  cherished 
ambition  ?  Not  at  all.  God  came  in  Jesus  to  do  just 
one  thing — to  plant  Divine  ambitions.  He  planted  a 
seed  here  and  another  there  and  another  yonder,  and 
not  a  single  seed  came  to  ripe  fruition  while  the  Son 
of  God  was  upon  earth.  Nor  did  Jesus  have  any 
expectation  that  they  would.  He  was  quite  content  to 
await  the  harvest-time.  "The  harvest  is  the  end  of 
the  world,  and  the  reapers  are  the  angels." 

Look  into  your  own  heart,  my  ambitious  friend,  and 
listen  to  a  word  of  admonition.  Scrutinize  carefully 
any  ambition  you  can  quickly  achieve.  Such  is  not 
worthy  of  your  better  self.  Be  careful  of  the  ambi- 
tion that  beckons  you  on  with  glowing  promises  of 
prompt  fulfillment.  By  such  ambition  the  angels  fell. 
By  such  ambition  Jesus  was  tempted  in  the  wilderness. 
Such  have  been  the  ambitions  which  have  lured  civili- 
zations to  ruin.  Such  was  the  ambition  that  brought 
about  a  world  war. 

In  other  words,  the  man  whose  ambition  is  realizable 
in  a  single  lifetime  is  not  the  man  who  is  dreaming 
big  dreams,  who  is  reflecting  the  mind,  the  heart,  the 
Spirit  of  God  Almighty. 


124  The  Meaning  of  Life 

Again  let  me  say:  No  big  and  worthy  ambition  is 
ever  unfulfilled.  Bless  God  for  the  ''nevertheless"  of 
our  text.  It  means  as  much  to  you  and  to  me  as  it 
did  to  David.  "Nevertheless,  thou  shalt  not  build  it 
but  thy  son."  And  that,  after  all,  was  the  important 
thing.  David  wanted  results.  His  eyes  were  upon  the 
temple,  not  upon  himself.  We  are  ambitious  not  so 
much  for  the  profits  and  the  plaudits  as  for  abiding 
accomplishments.  Is  it  not  so?  There  can  be  but 
one  answer  from  our  nobler  self. 

I  remember  very  well  that  when  the  neighboring 
Cathedral  of  St.  John  the  Divine  was  first  projected 
much  publicity  was  given  to  the  fact  that  the  plans 
contemplated  the  passage  of  a  full  century  before  the 
dream  could  be  realized.  Millions  of  dollars  have  been 
expended  in  the  undertaking,  thousands  and  tens  of 
thousands  of  consecrated  men  and  women  have  labored 
and  gone  on  to  their  reward  and  there  it  stands  to-day 
— unfinished.  Who  of  all  this  glorious  company  ex- 
pected to  live  to  witness  the  completion  of  the  mas- 
sive edifice?  Not  one.  Thank  God  for  that  kind  of 
ambition.  If  we  could  build  this  world  as  our  Epis- 
copalian friends  build  cathedrals  we  would  have  fewer 
world  wars  and  fewer  aftermaths  of  reconstruction. 
Aye,  if  we  built  our  Christianity  after  the  same 
fashion  it  would  always  be  in  fashion.  It  is  because 
our  ambitions  are  sordid,  low,  un-Godlike,  that  we  go 
around  bemoaning  the  collapse  of  Christianity,  the 
failure  of  the  church,  and  the  decay  of  civilization. 

I  am  taking  this  sermon  to  myself.  Your  minister 
has  his  moments  of  depression  when  he  bemoans  the 
fact  that  people  go  processioning  through  our  mem- 


Unfulfilled  Ambitions  125 

bership  like  commuters  through  a  ferryboat.  He 
sometimes  remarks  upon  the  discouraging  feature  that 
we  raise  up  one  company  of  workers  after  another — 
for  churches  elsewhere.  Then  his  wife  replies,  "Why, 
isn't  that  what  we  are  here  for?  Are  we  building 
West  End  Church  or  are  we  building  the  Kingdom  of 
God?"  Don't  you  see?  Oh,  there  are  so  many  ambi- 
tions that  a  minister  never  sees  fulfilled.  Neverthe- 
less, if  he  thinks  straight,  he  is  well  assured  that  he  is 
daily  moving  on  toward  the  fulfillment  of  his  ambi- 
tions by  some  one  at  some  time. 

And  this  is  the  joy  of  it,  and  my  third  observation. 
No  matter  how  long  you  wait  for  ambition  to  be 
realized,  no  matter  by  whom  it  is  finally  attained,  it 
remains  your  ambition  to  the  last.  I  admire  a  young 
man  who  is  big  enough  to  share  his  glory  with  others. 
In  a  big  project  there  is  always  sufficient  honor  to  go 
around.  When  David's  dream-temple  was  completed 
an  impressive  dedication  service  was  held.  Solomon 
preached  the  sermon  and  it  wasn't  about  Solomon,  it 
was  about  David.  He  frankly  said,  "This  is  not  my 
temple.  I  did  not  conceive  this  undertaking.  You  are 
looking  upon  the  fulfillment  of  a  life  ambition — not 
mine,  but  David's.  This  is  my  father's  work.  The 
vision  was  my  father's;  the  venture  was  his.  So  I 
ascribe  the  victory  to  him.  My  father  set  his  heart 
upon  this  vast  project  knowing  full  well  that  he  would 
not  live  to  see  it  accomplished.  But  God  said  unto 
my  father,  ^Nevertheless,  thou  didst  well  that  it  was 
in  thy  heart.'  And  gathered  here  to-day  we  re-echo 
the  sentiment.     Let  us  return  thanks  to  God  for  my 


126  The  Meaning  of  Life 

father.'*  And  the  great  audience  was  bathed  in  the 
hush  of  a  prayer  that  washed  away  the  dust  of  human 
littleness  and  opened  the  eyes  to  the  indestructibility  of 
a  purpose  nobly  conceived,  patiently  pursued  and  hum- 
bly passed  on  for  others  to  attain. 

Tucked  away  on  an  inside  page  of  a  recent  evening 
paper  was  a  delicious  morsel  of  sentiment.  It  was 
the  story  of  a  girl  violinist  who,  having  achieved  con- 
siderable distinction  on  the  other  side,  had  come  to 
New  York  to  coach  budding  artists.  She  took  up  her 
abode  among  the  studios  of  Union  Square  East.  Here 
she  played  exquisitely  every  day  upon  her  violin.  A 
weary-looking  little  Jew,  with  soft  and  dreamy  eyes, 
was  wont  to  pass  that  way  at  the  noon  hour.  He  often 
paused  to  drink  in  the  strains  that  dripped  from  her 
skilled  bow  upon  the  toilers  surging  to  and  fro  beneath 
her  window. 

One  Saturday  afternoon,  dressed  in  his  best,  he 
made  his  way  into  the  artist's  studio  where  he  stood 
shy  and  speechless,  presenting  a  pathetic  picture  of 
shrinking  eagerness.  The  girl's  gaze  was  kindly,  al- 
most inviting,  but  there  he  stood  brushing  his  hat  with 
his  sleeve — his  eyes  resting  upon  a  bas-relief  of  Chopin 
above  the  piano. 

Then  he  spoke,  softly,  but  very  earnestly,  *T  am 
come.  Miss,  to  ask  that  you  teach  me  to  play.  I  want 
— all  my  life — since  I  so  little  boy  to  play  violin." 
Gathering  courage  the  words  now  came  tumbling  over 
each  other.  **In  Warsaw,  I  live  near  his  house  (point- 
ing to  Chopin).  I  think  in  day — I  dream  in  night — 
how  some  day  I  get  violin  and  I  play.     But  we  are  so 


Unfulfilled  Ambitions  127 

poor."  A  shadow  crossed  his  face  at  the  memory. 
"And  I  never,  never  get  vioHn." 

He  paused  for  breath,  then  rambled  on,  "I  come  to 
America  when  I  was  fifteen  and  I  think  I  earn  lot  of 
money  and  buy  violin  and  learn.  But  there  were  many 
relatives  to  bring  over;  my  uncle  he  had  good  tailor 
shop  and  I  sew — and  sew — and  time  goes — and  I 
never  learn.  Now — I — we — ^my  wife  and  I,  we  will 
soon  get  a  baby.  Ten  years  we  have  been  married  but 
never  have  children  till  now.  And  I  want — my 
wife  want  too,  that  our  baby  can  play  violin — grand. 
My  wife  think  that  if  she  hear  much  music  she  will 
love  music  and  baby  will  get  our  hope.  So,  now,  I 
have  enough  money — I  want  lessons,  so  I  can  play  at 
home  to  her,  and  maybe — maybe. 

"One  day  I  hear  you  play.  I  listen  and  listen.  I 
come  often  and  stand  down  there  in  the  street.  I  say 
she  will  teach  me  and  my  baby  become  great  musician 
some  day.     You  will,  won't  you,  Miss  ?" 

That  was  three  months  ago.  Since  then  a  youthful 
virtuoso,  who  confines  herself  to  advanced  pupils,  has 
been  doing  her  best  to  enable  a  little  stooped  man  with 
his  worn  and  stiffened  fingers  to  recover  a  musician 
from  the  ashes  of  youthful  dreams. 

Does  it  require  much  imagination  to  see  in  the 
future  an  artist  of  first  rank  standing  before  an  enrap- 
tured audience  discoursing  the  quivering  emotions  so 
long  pent  up  in  a  father's  heart,  in  a  mother's  soul? 
Ah,  friends,  that  is  ambition.  And  anything  short  of 
that  is  a  pipe-dream.  An  ambition  like  that  of  David's 
or  like  that  of  the  little  Jew  is  God-like. 

Such,  I  believe,  is  the  ambition  of  the  singer  whose 


128  The  Meaning  of  Life 

plaint,  "I  have  wasted  my  money  and  my  life/*  inspired 
this  message.  Perhaps  she  has  not  wasted  either.  Her 
unfulfilled  ambition  may  be  gloriously  fulfilled  in  the 
little  one  God  has  placed  in  her  arms.  When  I  sug- 
gested as  much  the  mother  said  very  earnestly,  ''Yes,  I 
know.  And  I  am  praying  that  some  day  my  baby  may 
realize  my  ambition." 

Men  and  women,  young  and  old,  let  me  extend  my 
hand  to  you  in  profound  fellow  feeling  as  I  welcome 
you  into  the  oldest  fraternity  on  earth,  the  Society  of 
Jesus.  The  insignia  is  a  cross.  The  password  is 
patience.  The  grip  is  the  long  hold.  It  is  a  society 
of  men  and  women  who  dreamed  such  big  dreams  that 
they  cannot  be  fulfilled  in  a  single  lifetime.  But  they 
have  dreamed  with  God. 

"Thou  didst  well  that  it  was  in  thy  heart." 


XI 

AN  AWAKENING 

''Your  young  mep-  shall  see  visions."    Acts 
2:  17. 

Just  now  considerable  anxiety  is  being  voiced  in 
public  print  over  distressing  lapses  among  young  people. 
But  dailies  and  monthlies  do  not  tell  the  whole  story. 
That  there  is  another  side  to  the  story  is  evident  from 
a  letter  which  I  received  the  other  day.  This  letter  is 
from  an  eighteen-year-old  prep  student.  He  has  en- 
tered rather  early  upon  a  period  of  introspection  and 
self-adjustment.  He  is  seeking  to  find  himself.  He 
writes  to  his  minister  for  counsel.  I  challenge  any 
adult  to  write  with  more  clear-cut  self-analysis  and 
spiritual  understanding.  This  opportunity  to  look  into 
the  innermost  thoughts  of  an  up-to-the-minute  youth 
has  so  cheered  me  that  I  must  share  the  experience  with 
others. 

'T  am  seeking  your  counsel  on  a  big  question.  Liv- 
ing very  much  alone  for  two  or  three  years,  I  have 
faced  many  life  questions  and  thought  them  through 
from  barrenness  to  truth.  Probably  the  greatest  de- 
cision of  all  was  that  the  purpose  of  life  is  to  construct 
to  the  utmost  of  power.  The  big  thing  now  is  to  find 
in  what  way  I  may  do  my  utmost  in  constructive  work, 
and  it  is  upon  this  point  that  I  would  greatly  appreciate 
your  consideration. 

129 


130  The  Meaning  of  Life 

"It  seems  to  me  that  while  the  ideal  is  to  give  chief 
attention  to  constructive  things,  the  immediate  neces- 
sity is  to  destroy  destructive  things.  I  have  come  into 
contact  with  many  destructive  workers,  who  make  it 
the  object  and  delight  of  their  lives  to  drag  people 
down  unawares.  They  meet  little  or  no  opposition, 
because  they  don't  wear  signs  (or  if  they  do  they  are 
misleading).  I  have  seen  several  of  these  break  down 
more  religion  and  character  in  a  little  leisure  time  than 
you.  Doctor,  could  probably  build  in  many  hours  of 
teaching. 

"I  hate  that, — recruiting  for  hell — I  want  to  knock 
this  filthy,  underhanded  stuff  that  is  worm-eating  the 
very  best  of  our  people.  I  want  it  to  feel  physical  op- 
position. Why  build  up  heaven  with  all  hell  tearing 
at  your  back,  instead  of  fighting  hell  with  all  heaven 
at  your  back?  Don't  you  clear  the  rocks  off  the  field 
before  you  build,  and  is  not  construction  therefore  the 
ultimate  and  not  the  immediate  call  ? 

"I  want  to  know  in  what  direction  to  go  and  then 
get  going.  If  I  don't  soon  find  out,  my  purpose  may 
change,  weaken,  and  harden,  perhaps,  for  lack  of  an 
objective.  This  'prepare  and  be  ready  for  anything' 
doesn't  quite  work.  I  want  to  work  toward  a  bright 
light  of  accomplishment.  But  I  will  not  stake  all  on 
the  future,  for  my  brother  and  my  father's  brother 
were  swept  out  of  life  just  in  their  prime  with  nothing 
to  show  for  their  names  but  preparation  and  possibili- 
ties. We  have  a  sign  at  the  'Y.'  'Don't  wait  till 
you're  a  man  to  be  great;  be  a  great  boy.*  I  want  to 
keep  up  a  zest  for  living  right  now. 


An  Awakening  131 

"You  cannot  know  how  much  I  will  value  anything 
you  may  say  in  reply  to  this." 

How  can  any  one  be  pessimistic  about  the  f utui  e  in 
the  presence  of  such  a  youthful  explosion?  The  rising 
generation  is  not  likely  to  wreck  the  world,  as  some 
have  feared.  On  the  contrary  they  appear  to  have 
advanced  the  clock  by  an  hour  at  least,  thereby 
introducing  daylight-saving  into  the  realm  of  adoles- 
cence. 

What  would  you  say,  in  reply  to  such  a  letter  ? 

Well,  I  will  tell  you  what  I  have  said. 

Young  man,  you  have  caught  the  vision  of  the 
supreme  task  of  life — construction.  I  congratulate 
you.  Success  awaits  you,  happiness  and  satisfaction 
attend  you.  Long  and  eagerly  has  the  world  been  look- 
ing for  you. 

I  once  heard  no  less  a  person  than  President 
Butler,  of  Columbia,  voice  this  eagerness.  "This 
world,  this  modern  world,  abounds  in  architects  of 
every  type,  but  it  sadly  lacks  builders.  There  are 
architects  in  social  reform,  achitects  in  religion,  ar- 
chitects in  philosophy,  architects  in  institution  building, 
and  all  of  them  with  plans,  some  of  them  inviting, 
others  even  imposing  and  magnificent ;  but  by  the  side 
of  these  architects  how  few  are  the  builders." 

"Probably  the  greatest  decision  of  all,"  you  write, 
"was  that  the  purpose  of  life  is  to  construct  to  the  ut- 
most of  power."  A  wise  decision.  You  are  absolutely 
right.  Fasten  this  purpose  with  a  nail  and  in  a  sure 
place.     Upon  it  you  may  safely  hang  every  issue  of 


132  The  Meaning  of  Life 

life.  Constructive  thinking  and  planning  plus  patient 
constructive  effort  will  place  you  in  the  forefront  of 
leadership  and  make  your  life  count  for  time  and  for 
eternity. 

In  your  attitude  toward  destructive  workers  you  are 
less  wise.  You  are  militant,  which  is  well.  But  avoid 
militarism,  which  is  suicidal.  Remember  the  fate  of 
that  other  young  man  of  the  long  ago,  ablaze  with  the 
thought  of  swift  accomplishment.  BrilHant,  popular, 
with  a  pronounced  instinct  for  social  betterment,  he 
was  all  to  be  desired  as  young  men  go.  Burning  with 
righteous  indignation  on  that  fateful  day  Moses  saw 
red  and  murdered  an  Egyptian  slave-driver.  It  was 
an  act  of  hotheaded  impulsiveness.  Once  spent  it  left 
no  good  behind.  It  incurred  suspicion  among  the  very 
slaves  he  would  have  delivered.  It  delayed  the  dawn 
of  social  justice.  Moses  set  the  clock  back  forty  years. 
The  next  time  he  struck  at  the  wrong  all  was  different. 
First  he  saw  God  which  made  him  less  disposed  to  see 
red.  The  vision  of  God  must  always  be  coupled  with 
the  vision  of  duty  if  one  would  be  a  power  for  good. 
True  genius  is  finely  poised  between  madness  and  in- 
spiration.    Remember  this. 

"Don't  you  clear  the  rocks  of  the  field  before  you 
build?"  you  ask.  No,  I  don't.  Not  if  I  am  a  builder. 
I  let  out  that  contract  to  those  who  appear  to  have  a 
genius  for  tearing  down.  It  is  too  dirty  work  for  me. 
It  callouses  the  hands  of  the  skilled  artisan.  Besides, 
the  pay  is  poor.  In  this  attitude,  I  take  my  cue  from 
nature.     In  living  organisms  the  cells  that  build  up 


An  Awakening  133 

never  tear  down,  and  vice  versa.  So,  I  assume  the 
same  must  be  true  of  this  social  organism.  Certainly 
Jesus  did  no  tearing  down.  He  left  this  to  the  pro- 
cesses of  disintegration  inherent  within  all  wrong  and 
devoted  Himself  exclusively  to  constructive  teaching 
and  effort.  In  other  words  *'He  built  up  heaven  with 
all  hell  tearing  at  His  back"  (as  you  put  it).  And  He 
has  charged  His  followers  to  do  likewise.  Giving  us, 
however,  the  blessed  assurance  that  ''the  gates  of  hell 
shall  not  prevail." 

Give  yourself  no  anxiety  about  destructive  workers. 
A  wise  providence  has  assigned  to  them  their  place  and 
fixed  the  bounds  thereof.  "Thus  far  shalt  thou  go — 
and  no  further." 

You  could  not  get  rid  of  them  if  you  would,  and 
you  should  not  if  you  could.  They  are  as  necessary 
to  the  rearing  of  Christ's  Kingdom  dream  as  the  con- 
structive workers. 

"I  want  to  work  toward  a  bright  light  of  accom- 
plishment." So  you  should  and  so  you  may.  But 
remember  this,  if  the  accomplishment  upon  which  you 
fasten  your  expectant  gaze  is  such  as  might  be  achieved 
during  your  lifetime  it  is  not  worthy  of  you.  Only 
little  minds  dream  such  dreams.  Big  men  stake  out 
their  ambitions  along  eternal  lines.  They  project  their 
building  plans  into  other  lives,  and  into  ages  lying  far 
beyond  the  horizon  of  "A  Last  Will." 

Can  you  think  of  a  single  truly  great  man  who  has 
ever  sat  down  with  task  finished  to  bask  his  soul  in  the 
"bright  light  of  accomplishment?"  Did  Abraham,  or 
Jesus,  or  Paul?     Don't  you  see  that  you  are  putting 


134  The  Meaning  of  Life 

yourself  out  of  the  running  when  you  set  the  ambition 
so  low?  How  do  you  know  that  'your  brother  and 
your  father's  brother  were  swept  out  of  life  just  in 
their  prime  with  nothing  to  show  for  their  names  but 
preparation  and  possibilities?"  Some  day,  when  we 
stand  with  unclouded  vision  before  the  finished  edifice, 
you  may  find  it  otherwise. 

"Don't  wait  till  you're  a  man  to  be  great ;  be  a  great 
boy."  Thus  spake  the  "Y"  and  so  say  I.  Great — as 
Jesus  was  great  at  twelve  years  of  age ;  w^hen  the  lure 
of  life  was  His  "Father's  business."  Great — as  the 
Saviour  was  great  upon  the  cross,  when  in  the  presence 
of  what  appeared  to  be  utter  failure  He  fixed  His  ex- 
piring gaze  upon  the  capstone  resplendent  in  eternal 
sunshine  and  said,  "It  is  finished" — thereby  hurling  ex- 
ultance  into  the  teeth  of  His  enemies,  and  into  the  jaws 
of  death.  According  to  the  eleventh  chapter  of  He- 
brews, greatness  is  seeing  a  thing  when  others  do  not ; 
carrying  on  when  others  are  falling  down.  Is  there  a 
conceivable  vision  or  purpose  better  calculated  "to  give 
us  a  zest  for  living  right  now  ?" 

Naturally,  such  a  vision  as  I  have  sketched  with  the 
pigments  furnished  by  my  young  friend  overwhelms 
one  by  the  magnitude  of  its  proportions.  The  task  is 
stupendous.  "Who,  then,  is  sufficient  for  these 
things?"  Who,  indeed!  But  do  men  of  constructive 
genius  falter  on  that  account?  Not  as  we  observe 
them  on  this  material  plane.  When  the  projected 
building  operation  is  too  big  for  the  builder  he  seeks  a 
loan.     He   supplements   his    own  resources   with  re- 


An  Awakening  135 

serves  which  others  have  accumulated.     He  mortgages 
the  present  to  the  future. 

In  ''ye  are  complete  in  Him"  (Colossians  2:10)  we 
have  the  spiritual  equivalent  for  these  financial  under- 
writings.  The  inexhaustible  resources  embodied  in  the 
eternal  life  of  Jesus  are  absolutely  essential  to  any  abid- 
ing constructive  lifework.  The  vision  of  the  Christ  is 
even  more  important  than  the  vision  of  the  task.  For- 
tunately my  ambitious  and  earnest  young  friend  knows 
this  as  well  as  his  minister.  He  has  access  to  the  re- 
sources of  the  greatest  insurance  corporation  in  the 
universe.  With  such  backing  he  need  have  no  fear 
about  undertaking  the  task  of  building  his  own  unit  in 
the  ''new  social  order."  Notwithstanding  his  limited 
spiritual,  moral  and  intellectual  capital;  notwithstand- 
ing the  rapidly  flitting  hours  of  life's  short  day,  he  may 
rest  assured  that  whenever  he  is  compelled  to  lay  aside 
plumb-bob  and  spirit  level,  hammer  and  trowel,  the 
Master's  "it  is  finished"  will  be  upon  his  lips. 

We  have  only  to  join  our  lives  to  Christ,  and  link 
up  our  vision  with  His  to  go  joyously  on  with  our 
work.  No  man  on  earth  to-day  is  so  great  that  he 
would  not  be  millions  of  times  richer,  stronger,  more 
efficient  and  more  successful  if  he  added  himself  to 
Christ.  This  done,  he  would  be  better  able  to  meet 
his  obligations  and  to  float  his  political  and  economic 
credits.  World  reconstruction  is  held  up  because  so 
many  "big  men"  are  bankrupt  and  hesitate  about  secur- 
ing the  much  needed  Divine  underwriting. 

The  world  is  imperilled  by  incompleteness.  By  in- 
complete thinking — much  of  it  second-hand;  incom- 


136  The  Meaning  of  Life 

plete  idealism — some  of  it  half-baked;  incomplete  re- 
forms— ^most  of  them  superficial.  Too  bad!  Too 
bad !  And — it  might  be  so  different  if  men  would  only 
build  ambitions,  industries  and  nations  with  the  same 
degree  of  intelligence  that  they  display  in  building 
apartment  houses  and  railroads.  But,  the  future  is 
not  without  promise  so  long  as  young  and  ambitious 
men,  in  increasing  numbers,  are  awakening  to  this 
challenge  of  the  larger  life  and  are  striking  out  for  the 
shining  heights  of  enduring  accomplishment. 


XII 

THROWING  AWAY  HAPPINESS 

*'And  the  Lord  God  took  the  man  whom  He 
had  made  and  put  him  in  the  Garden  of  Eden  to 
dress  and  to  keep  it/'    Genesis  2:15. 

A  great  many  folks  wax  noisy  over  their  disbelief 
of  the  story  of  the  Fall.  Perhaps  their  intellectual 
difficulties  are  due  to  misunderstandings.  Probably  they 
have  never  really  examined  the  story  to  see  what  it  is 
all  about.  They  have  contented  themselves  with  hear- 
say and  their  unbelief  is  therefore  only  second-hand. 

It  matters  little,  whether  you  regard  the  story  as 
myth  or  as  allegory  or  as  actual  history,  it  comes  to 
the  same  thing  in  the  end.  It  is  the  faithful  portrayal 
of  real  life,  the  literary  embodiment  of  human  experi- 
ence from  which  you  cannot  get  away  by  any  process 
of  reasoning,  by  any  rationalistic  jugglery.  All  the 
essential  facts  of  "the  Fall'*  are  here  in  every  heart  as 
truly  as  they  were  yonder  in  Eden. 

What  is  the  story  all  about?  Well,  to  begin  with, 
between  the  first  verse  of  Genesis  and  the  second  verse 
there  is  an  interval  of  time,  no  one  knows  how  long. 
It  may  have  been  millenniums,  it  may  have  been  only 
centuries.  One  guess  is  as  good  as  another.  The 
point  is  that  within  this  interval  a  cataclysm  had  taken 
place,  a  stupendous  catastrophe  had  overwhelmed  the 

137 


138  The  Meaning  of  Life 

race.  Civilization  and  man,  whatever  they  were  be- 
fore, are  now  in  ruins. 

With  the  second  verse  of  Genesis  God  undertakes 
to  erect  a  new  world  by  "re-making"  man.  He  pro- 
ceeds to  give  man  another  chance.  He  begins  to  re- 
write history.  And  this  is  the  way  He  goes  about  it. 
He  plants  a  garden  of  perfect  happiness  upon  earth  and 
He  plants  potential  happiness  within  man.  Whatever 
may  be  said  against  the  story  one  must  admit  that  the 
author  displays  inspired  genius  by  eliminating  the 
element  of  environment  and  getting  right  down  to  the 
essence  of  happiness — ^man  himself.  Here  he  is,  this 
darling  of  the  gods,  in  a  garden  containing  ever}1:hing 
that  could  possibly  be  desired.  Satisfaction  is  here  for 
eye,  for  emotion,  for  mind,  for  ambition.  Not  a 
blemish  is  anywhere  to  be  found — no  sin,  no  pain,  no 
fear  in  the  soul,  no  shame  upon  the  cheek.  He  is 
monarch  of  all  he  surveys.  God  and  man  walk  hand 
in  hand  in  an  intimacy  unmatched. 

Man  starts  a  new  order  at  zero,  with  freedom  to 
choose  between  rising  and  falling  moral  temperature. 
He  is  no  prisoner  in  this  garden  of  happiness.  He  is 
a  son,  at  liberty  to  go  or  to  stay.  If  he  stays  he  must 
improve  his  opportunities;  if  he  squanders  them  he 
must  go.  There  had  to  be  choice  if  Adam  was  not  to 
be  a  prisoner;  there  had  to  be  right  choice  if  he  was  to 
become  a  worthy  son.  And  he  deliberately  throws  away 
happiness  and  is  banished  from  his  delectable  estate. 

It  is  my  purpose  to  lift  this  story  bodily  out  of  the 
Old  Testament  and  set  it  down  where  we  live.  For 
our  present  discussion  the  Garden  of  Eden  is  New 
York.     I  shall  attempt  to  show  how  men  to-day  are 


Throwing  Away  Happiness      139 

throwing  away  happiness  exactly  as  did  Adam  and 
Eve. 


We  dehberately  throw  away  happiness  when  we  take 
what  does  not  belong  to  us.  What  was  the  tree  of 
knowledge  ?  Let  the  serpent  answer :  "In  the  day  thou 
eatest  of  the  forbidden  tree  thou  shalt  be  as  God." 
Adam's  folly  was  in  laying  hands  upon  knowledge  that 
was  God's.  This  is  something  that  does  not  belong 
to  man  and  never  will,  the  serpent  to  the  contrary  not- 
withstanding. You  cannot  take  what  belongs  to  an- 
other and  successfully  get  away  with  it — at  least  not 
for  long.  Happiness  is  not  thus  to  be  obtained.  In- 
dividuals have  tried  it,  nations  have  tried  it — ^to  their 
sorrow.  The  serpent  lied — he  knew,  he  lied — Adam 
and  Eve  also  knew  it,  but  too  late.  The  knowledge 
they  gained  was  not  God's  knowledge  at  all.  God's 
knowledge  of  the  difference  between  good  and  evil 
came  by  sacrificing  the  evil;  Adam's  knowledge  came 
by  sacrificing  the  good.  The  two  are  antithetical. 
God  plucked  His  knowledge  from  the  tree  of  life; 
Adam  and  Eve  plucked  their  knowledge  from  the  tree 
of  death. 

As  a  boy  I  was  greatly  mystified  by  the  "forbidden 
fruit"  part  of  the  tale.  To  my  youthful  mind  it 
seemed  altogether  wrong  for  God  to  place  something 
before  man  which  would  tempt  him  to  fall.  Fortu- 
nately for  my  peace  of  mind  there  was  a  public  park 
across  the  street  from  my  parental  home  and  a  very 
wise  father  within  that  home.  Between  the  two  I  got 
things  straightened  out  to  my  complete  satisfaction. 


140  The  Meaning  of  Life 

The  park  was  our  pride  and  continual  delight.  Al- 
though kept  up  by  the  city  we  called  it  "our  park." 
And  it  was  "ours"  to  enjoy,  to  roam  through  and  to 
play  in.  But  "forbidden"  signs  were  everywhere — on 
the  grass,  in  the  flower  beds,  in  the  lily  ponds  and  on 
the  tree  trunk-  Those  were  the  days  when  "keep  off" 
meant  keep  off,  even  to  city  children.  So  it  was  not 
difficult  for  Father  to  show  how  the  park  did  belong 
to  us  although  it  did  not.  The  city  bought  the  park 
for  no  other  reason  than  that  it  might  belong  to  every 
citizen  of  Wilmington.  It  was  every  man's,  every 
woman's,  every  child's,  to  the  extent  that  each  citizen 
kept  his  hands  off  of  what  belonged  to  the  city.  Thus 
the  happiness  of  all  was  conditioned  upon  the  obedi- 
ence of  each.  After  Father's  homily,  we  boys  often 
called  our  park  the  Garden  of  Eden.  A  fundamental 
law  of  life  had  been  inscribed  upon  the  fleshly  tablets 
of  two  youthful  hearts — a  law  of  universal  application. 
There  is  much  forbidden  fruit  in  the  garden  of  life. 
Whoever  reaches  up  and  plucks  what  does  not  belong 
to  him  deliberately  throws  away  happiness. 

We  deliberately  throw  away  happiness  when  we  try 
to  get  it  in  a  way  that  conscience  doth  not  approve, 
Adam  and  Eve  had  no  sooner  taken  what  belonged 
to  God  than  they  knew  their  own  nakedness.  Con- 
science immediately  lifted  its  voice  in  condemnation. 
Henceforth  the  whole  garden  was  changed.  The  lov- 
ing voice  of  God  became  something  fearsome.  A 
guilty  heart  makes  a  gloomy  world — always.  Naked- 
ness of  spirit  is  something  that  no  amount  of  knowl- 
edge can  cover.     No  man  is  great  to  his  conscience. 


Throwing  Away  Happiness      141 

Conscience  is  an  unrelenting  prosecutor.  No  garden 
of  happiness  is  big  enough  to  afford  adequate  hiding 
place  from  the  eyes  of  the  moral  law.  Misery  pursues 
the  mighty  and  the  moneyed  as  persistently  as  it  does 
the  weak  and  the  poor.  We  simply  cannot  break  the 
moral  law.  If  we  try  to  break  it,  it  will  surely  break 
us.  The  humblest  man  without  a  dollar  in  his  pocket 
but  with  a  clear  conscience  is  happier  than  the  proudest 
man  despite  all  his  wealth  who  has  attained  his  ends 
in  a  way  that  the  inner  voice  disallows.  A  conscience 
ridden  man  must  live  on  dope  or  souse  himself  in 
intoxicating  pleasure  to  sustain  even  a  measurably 
tolerable  existence.  How  well  Shakespeare  put  the 
thought  into  the  mouth  of  King  Richard,  "My  con- 
science hath  a  thousand  tongues  and  every  tongue  brings 
in  a  several  tale  and  every  tale  condemns  me  as  a  vil- 
lain." We  throw  away  our  happiness  when  we  get  it 
at  the  cost  of  conscience. 

We  throw  away  happiness  when  we  try  to  get  it 
without  any  effort.  The  trouble  with  Adam  and  Eve 
was  they  were  lazy.  God  put  them  in  the  Garden  to 
till  and  to  dress  it.  If  they  had  attended  to  the  job  in 
hand  they  would  have  gotten  the  knowledge  they  de- 
sired in  a  normal  way — by  working  for  it.  God 
intended  them  to  know  the  difference  between  good 
and  evil.  It  was  not  His  thought  to  deny  their  God- 
like cravings.  If  a  creature  may  reverently  venture  to 
read  the  mind  of  the  Creator,  God's  plans  must  have 
taken  shape  in  some  such  form  as  this :  "If  these,  my 
Spirit-children,  will  till  the  garden  I  will  cause  it  to 
bring  forth  the   fruit  of   knowledge  in  abundance." 


142  The  Meaning  of  Life 

The  folly  of  these  Spirit-children  was  that,  not  content 
to  await  the  harvest  time,  they  plucked  knowledge  be- 
fore it  ripened. 

There  is  an  instrument,  held  in  sacred  regard  by 
most  Americans,  which  declares,  ''that  every  citizen 
has  the  right  to  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happi- 
ness." An  excellent  statement  this  is  of  the  philosophy 
of  Eden.  Happiness  is  pursuit^  nothing  more,  noth- 
ing less.  It  is  not  acquisition  or  possession  or  ac- 
cumulation. Neither  is  it  investment  or  investure  or 
environment — except  as  incidental.  It  is  quest,  pursuit, 
growth,  keeping-on-keeping-on. 

To  illustrate  my  point.  I  have  a  symphony  organ 
which  represents  the  slavings  and  the  savings  of  seven 
long  years.  As  a  passionate  lover  of  music  it  has  been 
the  regret  of  my  life  that  I  did  not  learn  to  play  when 
I  was  young.  When  the  self -player  organs  appeared 
I  resolved  to  have  one,  cost  what  it  might.  For  seven 
years  I  looked  eagerly  forward  to  the  time  when  I 
would  be  able  to  sit  down  and  execute  the  compositions 
of  the  great  masters.  Every  dollar  I  saved  represented 
many  times  its  value  in  terms  of  personal  happiness. 
The  long-looked- for  day  arrived  and  the  coveted  in- 
strument stood  in  my  library.  For  several  weeks  I 
spent  all  my  spare  moments  on  the  organ  bench.  I 
feasted  my  hungry  soul  and  afflicted  the  neighbors — 
for  it  was  early  summer.  Gradually  I  tired  of  music- 
by-the-yard,  and  played  less  and  less.  Then  the  organ 
remained  closed  for  weeks  at  a  time,  then  months. 
To-day  that  beautiful  and  expensive  instrument  peace- 
fully reposes  in  a  barn  on  my  New  Hampshire  farm. 


Throwing  Away  Happiness      143 

I  find  in  talking  to  business  men,  that  their  experi- 
ence is  not  unhke  my  own.  They  get  more  happiness 
out  of  making  money  than  they  do  out  of  having  it. 
It  is  the  game,  not  the  money,  that  affords  the  larger 
measure  of  happiness.  What  is  money,  after  all? 
Nothing  but  glorified  dirt.  It  is  worth  only  so  much 
as  it  will  buy  in  temporal  and  political  glory,  which  are 
worth  in  their  turn  only  what  they  will  buy  of  spiritual 
glory. 

Adam  and  Eve  wanted  to  get  happiness  without 
working  for  it.  The  old  serpent  deceived  them  with 
blandishments.  *'What  is  the  use  of  tilling  the  gar- 
den? Why  not  reach  out  and  take  ripe  fruit  from 
God's  tree?"  Unfortunately  for  them  and  for  us, 
when  they  did  so  they  found  it  was  not  Life's  tree  but 
Death's.  Happiness  plucked  before  it  is  ripe  invaria- 
bly disagrees  with  human  nature.  When  young  peo- 
ple, impatient  to  make  money,  give  up  their  schooling 
they  deliberately  throw  away  happiness.  Half-baked 
lives  do  not  bring  much  in  any  world  market.  The 
get-rich-quicks  usually  throw  away  happiness.  Mere 
wealth  is  not  happiness,  as  any  one  with  half  an  eye 
can  see.  If  it  were,  the  face  of  the  New  Yorker  would 
smile.  But  does  it?  Study  the  faces  in  the  subway 
or  on  the  ''L."  You  can  count  the  smiles  of  a  single 
ride  on  the  fingers  of  two  hands.  Stand  at  the  head 
of  Wall  Street  and  study  the  faces  of  the  hurrying, 
jostling  crowds  as  they  surge  to  and  fro.  How  many 
of  them  reflect  a  really  happy  heart?  Happiness  there 
may  be  but  it  does  not  come  to  light  until  these  men 
and  women  climb  out  of  the  golden  current  that  has 
swept  them  madly  on  and  on  all  day. 


144  The  Meaning  of  Life 

There  is  a  proverb  that  runs  thus :  **It  is  the  glory 
of  God  to  conceal  a  thing ;  but  the  honor  of  kings  is  to 
search  out  a  matter."  Here  is  the  touchstone  of  true 
happiness.  Kipling  has  set  the  idea  to  rhythmic  meter 
in  his  "Explorer." 

"Till  a  voice  as  bad  as  conscience,  rang  interminable  changes. 

"Something  hidden.    Go  and  find  it.    Go  and  look  behind  the 

ranges. 
Something  lost  behind  the  Ranges,  lost  and  waiting  for  you. 

Go! 
So  I  went,  worn  out  of  patience;  never  told  my  nearest 

neighbor — 
Stole  away  with  pack  and  ponies — left  'em  drinking  in  the 

town; 
And  the  faith  that  moveth  mountains  didn't  seem  to  help 

my  labors 
As  I  faced  the  sheer  main-ranges,  whipping  up  and  leading 

down. 

"But  at  last  the  country  altered — white  man's  country  past 

disputing — 
Rolling  grass  and  open  timber,  with  a  line  of  hills  behind — 
Saul,  he  went  to  look  for  donkeys,  and  by  God  he  found  a 

Kingdom ! 
But  by  God,  who  sent  His  whisper,  I  had  struck  the  worth 

of  two! 

Then,  we  throw  away  our  happiness  when  we  fail  to 
provide  enduring  foundation  for  it.  Happiness  is  not 
an  airplant;  it  is  an  edifice.  Our  to-days  and  yester- 
days are  the  blocks  with  which  we  build  our  to-mor- 
rows and  our  eternity.  What's  the  use  of  building  a 
new  world,  and  what's  the  use  of  reconstruction  if  we 


Throwing  Away  Happiness      145 

are  only  building  upon  quicksands.  The  Great 
Teacher  classified  all  men  as  wise  or  foolish.  The 
foolish  build  happiness  upon  sand,  and  when  the  rains 
descend  and  the  flood  comes  and  the  winds  blow,  down 
it  all  topples  and  great  is  the  fall  thereof.  Adam  and 
Eve  built  upon  sand  when  they  might  have  built  upon 
the  rock  of  ages.  There  stood  the  tree  of  life  in  the 
center  of  that  garden,  a  symbol  of  endurance — un- 
touched. There  is  no  evidence  that  they  paid  the 
slightest  attention  to  that  which  would  have  made 
happiness  abiding.  God  gave  them  the  chance  to  put 
everlastingness  beneath  their  paradisiacal  estate,  and 
the  opportunity  was  thrown  away.  What  fools  we 
mortals  be. 

This  is  all  rather  sketchy  but  it  is  comprehensive. 
I  have  drawn  an  outline  that  each  may  readily  fill  in 
from  his  own  experience.  You  will  bear  me  witness 
that,  save  for  a  few  minor  details,  this  Genesis  story 
is  a  faithful  portrayal  of  human  nature,  as  it  is  to-day. 
The  Garden  of  Eden  is  right  here  in  our  midst.  The 
Fall  of  Man  is  not  an  ancient  fiction,  it  is  a  daily 
tragedy.  And  I  am  speaking  in  behalf  of  my  Father 
who  still  walks  in  the  garden  calling  men  back  to  sanity^ 
and  to  Himself.  Across  the  centuries  is  still  heard' 
the  inescapable  question :  "Adam,  where  art  thou  V 
There  is  no  escape  from  this  Voice.  There  is  no  hid- 
ing place  from  this  Presence. 

Will  you  continue  to  throw  away  your  happiness? 
Will  you  deliberately  spurn  the  very  thing  that  you 
seek?  Or  will  you  conscientiously  and  patiently  set 
about  tilling  and  dressing  the  garden  of  Happiness? 


146  The  Meaning  of  Life 

Only  do  this  and  you  shall  have  a  right  to  the  tree  of 
life  which  in  due  time  will  be  found  also  to  be  the  tree 
of  knowledge  of  good  and  evil. 

The  other  evening  a  physician  unfolded  to  me  an 
interesting  tale  adorned  with  an  excellent  moral.  A 
friend  of  his  read  somewhere  that  chickens  lay  more 
when  lights  are  burned  for  an  hour  about  midnight. 
So  he  installed  a  hundred-candle-power  lamp  in  his 
hennery  and  turned  it  on  every  night,  with  gratifying 
results.  Thinking  it  was  morning  the  chickens  came 
down  from  their  roost  and  went  to  scratching.  Egg 
production  was  largely  increased.  But  here  is  the 
significant  fact.  When  the  incubating  season  arrived 
the  tables  were  reversed.  Out  of  eight  hundred  eggs 
put  in  the  incubator  only  twenty-nine  hatched.  By 
careful  test  the  eggs  laid  down  were  all  equally  fertile. 
Why  then  the  disparity?  Upon  examination  it  was 
found' that  in  all  the  eggs  the  chicks  had  matured  and 
were  well  formed  but  the  vast  majority  did  not  have 
the  strength  to  pick  their  way  out  of  the  shell. 

Is  there  a  timely  lesson  here?  Have  we  hit  upon 
the  reason  why  our  Christian  and  patriotic  ideals  in- 
cubate into  promising  form  only  to  remain  supine 
through  inanition?  By  force  methods,  by  artificial 
instrumentalities,  by  strenuous  strivings  we  have 
largely  increased  the  material  forms  of  happiness  but 
in  all  too  many  instances  spiritual  vitality  has  been  so 
sapped  by  the  process  that  men  have  not  had  strength 
to  pick  their  way  out  of  the  shell  of  superficiality  into 
the  fullness  of  a  happy  life. 


XIII 
WHOSE  IS  IT? 

'Who  then  is  that  trustworthy  steward  whom 
the  Lord  shall  entrust  with  all  His  posses- 
sionsf     Luke  12:42. 

Is  not  the  church  laying  too  much  emphasis  upon 
giving?  If  giving  money  is  such  an  essential  part  of 
Christian  life,  how  do  you  account  for  it  that  so  few 
texts  in  the  New  Testament  enjoin  giving?" 

Such  was  the  question  propounded  the  other  day  by 
a  prominent  layman  who  was  deploring  the  financial 
drives  of  various  kinds. 

My  answer  was,  ''Very  little  is  said  about  giving 
for  the  obvious  reason  that  man  has  so  very  little  to 
give.  There  is  but  one  thing  I  know  of  that  man  may 
truly  call  his  own — the  will.'* 

Surprise  is  in  store  for  any  student  who  will  take 
a  Bible  concordance  and  carefully  examine  all  the 
references  under  give,  giving  and  gave,  so  far  as  they 
embrace  transactions  between  God  and  man.  He  will 
find,  out  of  several  hundred,  barely  more  than  a  baker's 
dozen  in  which  man  appears  as  the  giver,  and  then 
only  by  indirection.  According  to  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments  God  is  the  giver ;  man  receives  and  invests. 
The  cattle  upon  a  thousand  hills  are  His ;  all  the  silver 

147 


148  The  Meaning  of  Life 

and  gold  are  His.     Aye,  and  we  are  His.     This  is  the 
unmistakable  teaching  of  the  Word  of  God. 

Moreover,  innumerable  embarrassing  questions  will 
confront  the  investigator,  such  as  these :  Who  gave  thee 
power  to  get  wealth  ?  What  hast  thou  that  thou  didst 
not  first  of  all  receive?  *'God  that  made  the  world  and 
all  things  therein,  seeing  that  He  is  Lord  of  heaven  and 
earth,  needeth  not  anything,  seeing  He  giveth  to  all  life 
and  breath  and  all  things." 

Stewardship  is  the  dominant  note  in  the  Bible — stew- 
ardship of  life,  talents,  means.  This  also  was  the  con- 
trolling idea  in  the  life  of  Christ  from  earhest  boyhood 
— "Wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  about  my  Father's  busi- 
ness?" And  the  disciples,  following  the  example  of 
their  Lord,  were  so  obsessed  with  the  idea  of  steward- 
ship that  they  counted  naught  that  they  had  their  own 
but  held  all  things  in  common.  Why,  then,  did  this 
first  experiment  in  communism  fail?  For  the  reason 
that  the  disciples  shirked  personal  stewardship  for  the 
more  easy  divided  responsibility  of  collective  steward- 
ship. Had  each  man  willingly  and  with  reasonable 
intelligence  administered  for  himself  the  gifts  with 
which  God  had  entrusted  him  a  very  different  story 
would  have  flashed  forth  from  the  pages  of  apostolic 
history. 

Concerning  the  use  and  disposition  of  money  Christ 
had  more  to  say  than  upon  almost  any  other  phase  of 
Christian  casuistry.  I  will  not  attempt  to  go  into  this 
more  fully  assuming  an  average  acquaintance  with  the 
history  of  that  inspired  life.  Suffice  it  to  say  it  was 
no  idle  curiosity  or  spirit  of  Paul  Pry  that  impelled 


Whose  Is  It?  149 

Jesus  to  sit  over  against  the  treasury  and  watch  the 
assembling  worshipers  deposit  their  contributions  in 
the  many  money  chests  that  stood  beside  all  doors  of 
the  sanctuary.  Undoubtedly  the  burden  upon  His  heart 
that  Sabbath  day  was  the  same  as  that  reflected  in  the 
question  of  our  text,  "Who  then  is  that  trustworthy 
steward  whom  the  Lord  shall  entrust  with  all  His  pos- 
sessions?" 

It  is  kingdom  building  of  which  Jesus  is  here  speak- 
ing. He  seeks  to  convey  to  every  disciple  the  tremend- 
ous, albeit  inspiring  thought  that  the  Kingdom  of  God 
on  earth  will  tarry  only  until  such  time  as  God  finds 
a  sufficient  number  of  men  whom  He  can  trust  with 
money.  Manifestly  until  God  can  trust  man  with 
money  He  can  trust  him  with  few  other  blessings  of 
the  Kingdom  age. 

"Money  the  Acid  Test"  is  the  title  of  a  searching 
book  by  my  friend,  Mr.  McConaughy.  It  certainly  is 
the  acid  test.  Scripture  reveals  it  to  be  the  acid  test  of 
character,  of  sincerity,  of  patriotism,  of  religion.  By 
this  test  one  nation  after  another  has  been  found  want- 
ing. Read  the  epitaph  which  one  of  the  last  of  the 
Hebrew  prophets  inscribes  upon  the  tomb  of  disap- 
pointing and  disappointed  Israel:  "Will  a  man  rob 
God?  Yet  ye  have  robbed  me.  But  ye  say,  wherein 
have  we  robbed  thee?  In  tithes  and  offerings.  Ye 
are  cursed  with  a  curse  for  ye  have  robbed  me,  even 
this  whole  nation."  Israel  sinned  away  her  day  of 
opportunity.  She  received  the  gifts  of  God  and 
claimed  them  as  her  very  own.  She  declined  to  be 
God's  trustee  nation  and  deliberately  appropriated  to 


150  The  Meaning  of  Life 

herself  all  of  the  trust  funds.     This  is  a  matter  of  his- 
tory which  none  may  gainsay. 

Also  by  the  acid  test  of  money  individuals  have  been 
repeatedly  found  wanting.  Witness  the  rich  young 
ruler  whom  Jesus  loved.  Witness  also  Christ's  story 
of  the  farmer  who,  forgetting  the  Divine  Giver  and 
the  honored  and  responsible  office  unto  which  the 
Giver  has  called  him,  views  his  possessions  after  a 
fashion  sadly  familiar  to  us.  He  talks  of  my  barns, 
my  goods,  my  fruits.  So  God  discharges  him,  *'Thou 
fool,  this  night  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee. 
Then  whose  shall  these  things  be?"  In  view  of  these 
and  many  other  instances  that  might  be  adduced  one 
will  appreciate  better  the  profound  wisdom  of  the 
Master's  observation,  ''How  hardly  shall  they  that 
have  riches  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God." 

The  bright  spot  of  the  text  is  this;  whenever  and 
wherever  God  finds  a  trustworthy  steward  He  takes 
him  into  partnership  and  entrusts  him  with  more. 
Glorious  thought  this  for  individual  and  for  nation: 
''Whom  the  Lord  shall  entrust  with  all  His  posses- 
sions." We  would  have  more  did  we  but  show  more 
capacity,  greater  integrity.  God  is  building  up  His 
kingdom  out  of  His  treasury  staff — which,  thank  God, 
is  enlarging  every  year,  every  day. 

Mr.  Business-Man,  is  not  this  your  method  of  pro- 
cedure ?  Have  you  not  built  up  your  organization  out 
of  the  trustworthy  material  which  has  grown  up  within 
the  ranks  of  the  enterprise?  He  would  be  a  foolish 
business-man  indeed  who  would  think  to  erect  a  going 
business   upon   employees   who   make    way   with   the 


Whose  Is  It?  151 

funds.  By  exactly  the  same  method  God  is  building 
His  kingdom  enterprise.  ^'Honesty  is  the  best  policy'* 
not  alone  in  business  but  in  grace  as  well.  No  line  of 
sophistry  talk,  no  juggling  of  figures,  will  bring  about 
the  answer  to  our  prayer  "thy  kingdom  come."  But 
integrity  and  industry,  glorified  by  inspiration  and  con- 
secration certainly  will. 

This  is  a  day  of  testing  for  the  church  of  God. 
Be  not  deceived.  The  issues  of  the  hour  are  clear  cut^ 
unmistakable.  Man's  attitude  to  money  determines  his 
attitude  to  God  and  to  his  fellowman.  To  humblest 
workman  and  to  proudest  capitalist  there  must  come 
a  change  of  mind  and  heart.  The  money  is  not  ours^ 
no  matter  how  hard  we  work  for  it,  how  fast  we  nail 
it  down,  how  we  label  it.  The  distress  of  these  days 
is  almost  wholly  due  to  money  madness.  We  are 
scarcely  better  in  our  day  and  generation  than  the  rich 
young  ruler  "who  went  away  sorrowful,"  notwith- 
standing his  great  possessions. 

Complaint  is  made  that  the  rich  are  growing  richer 
and  the  poor  poorer.  But  that  is  not  the  trouble.  The 
trouble  is  not  that  the  poor  have  less  but  that  we  all 
want  more :  not  that  the  rich  are  richer  but  that  they 
are  sicker.  "Wealth  should  be  called  ill-th,"  observed 
Ruskin. 

"The  love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil,"  declares 
the  wise  old  Book.  No  argument  is  needed  to  prove 
that  theorem.  We  have  only  to  look  about  us  and 
behold  the  highwayman  spirit  infesting  every  avenue 
of  trade,  of  commerce,  of  finance,  of  statesmanship. 

Let  us  be  honest ;  first  with  the  facts,  then  with  God, 


152  The  Meaning  of  Life 

then  with  ourselves.  Then  the  brotherhood  of  man 
will  be  at  least  conceivable. 

Without  doubt  the  world  is  at  the  parting  of  the 
ways — ^particularly  the  Christian  world.  The  response 
of  Christian  men  and  women,  aye,  and  Christian  na- 
tions, to  the  challenge  of  the  great  altruistic  move- 
ments of  the  day  will  largely  determine  the  future  for 
organized  Christianity  and  for  organized  society. 

Our  attitude  towards  money  is  to  determine  whether 
wt  are  to  lose  what  we  have  or  whether  we  are  to  be 
entrusted  with  more.  "From  him  that  hath  not  shall 
be  taken  away  even  that  which  he  seemeth  to  have." 

Pressing  the  matter  a  little  closer;  is  all  this  clamor 
for  a  better  world  honest  or  is  it  hypocritical?  Is  the 
new  social  conscience  fact  or  fiction?  Are  the  gifts 
we  offer  upon  the  altar  of  repentance  genuine,  or  is 
there  a  string  to  every  one?  Louis,  the  XI,  solemnly 
executed  a  deed  conveying  the  whole  country  of  Bou- 
logne in  France  to  the  Virgin  Mary.  But  he  reserved 
for  himself  all  revenues.  How  characteristically 
modern ! 

In  fine,  we  are  now  deciding  whether  our  money  is 
to  buy  more  trouble  or  more  effective  munitions  of 
mercy;  if  the  former,  God  pity  us,  if  the  latter,  the 
crowning  day  is  coming  by  and  by. 

I  have  great  expectations  for  the  days  just  ahead 
of  us.  Many  and  striking  are  the  signs  of  promise. 
I  venture  to  say  there  was  never  a  time  when  men  of 
means  realized  their  stewardship  as  they  do  to-day. 
Mr.  Carnegie  was  not  alone  in  the  feeling  "to  die  rich 
is  to  die  dishonored."     Only  the  other  day  a  distin- 


Whose  Is  Itf  153 

guished  judge  addressed  a  vast  assembly  in  a  Western 
city  upon  the  theme,  *The  Lord's  Three  Hundred  Mil- 
lion." One  may  easily  imagine  the  trend  of  his  re- 
marks from  this  very  striking  and  significant  topic. 
Witness  one  of  the  richest  young  men  of  the  day  going 
forth  with  a  ''flying  squadron"  for  a  swing  around  the 
circle  of  principal  American  cities  with  an  appeal  to 
people  of  large  and  small  means  to  dedicate  their  sub- 
stance unto  the  Lord. 

There  is  absolutely  nothing  too  great  for  the  church 
of  God  to  attempt.  She  has  the  men,  she  has  the 
means,  she  has  the  message,  she  has  the  motive.  To 
win  a  great  war  the  government  was  forced  to  turn 
to  the  church  and  kindred  agencies  for  the  means 
wherewith  to  fill  the  war  chest  and  for  the  men  with 
ability  to  organize  democracy. 

Men  and  women — you  who  bear  the  name  of  Christ, 
let  me  say  very  frankly  that  the  world  of  to-morrow 
is  going  to  take  the  road  into  which  the  Christian  men 
of  to-day  turn.  The  herd  instinct  is  abroad  and  is  wait- 
ing for  vision ful  leadership.  At  the  present  moment 
this  leadership  is  sadly  wanting.  Statesmen  have 
proved  themselves  incapable  of  it,  as  have  mere  re- 
formers both  radical  and  conservative.  Can  Chris- 
tianity measure  up  to  the  opportunity  ?  Is  she  able  to 
rise  to  this  leadership.  Not  unless  she  gives  evidence 
of  her  sincerity  by  enduring  the  acid  test  and  by  a 
Godly  example  of  trustworthiness  and  unselfish  service. 

It  was  by  acid  that  George  Peabody  was  tested  and 
found  to  be  pure  gold.  It  came  about  on  this  wise. 
One  busy  day  his  office  was  entered  by  a  canvasser 


154  The  Meaning  of  Life 

who  asked  him  to  contribute  to  the  fund  he  was  raising 
for  an  orphanage.  The  banker  tried  in  vain  to  get 
rid  of  him.  Finally  he  wrote  a  check  for  one  hundred 
dollars.  *'0h,  thank  you,  Mr.  Peabody."  Then  with 
a  look  of  disappointment  the  visitor  added,  "We  had 
you  down  for  a  thousand.  We  were  sure,  sir,  that 
you  would  subscribe  not  less  than  that  amount."  The 
banker  was  visibly  nettled  as  he  replied,  "Well,  you 
had  me  down  wrong."  After  some  adroit  talking  the 
solicitor  departed  with  a  compromise  check  for  five 
hundred. 

What  followed  has  been  frankly  told  by  the  banker 
himself.  He  went  home  but  not  to  sleep.  All  night 
long  that  five  hundred  dollars  tormented  him.  "I 
don't  remember  which  I  was  madder  at,  myself  or  my 
unwelcome  caller."  By  daylight  he  had  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  there  was  something  wrong  with  a 
rich  man  when  the  giving  of  five  hundred  dollars  to 
a  worthy  cause  could  give  him  such  a  restless  night. 
For  the  first  time  he  realized  what  a  cold  and  deadly 
grip  money  had  upon  his  soul.  He  resolved  to  break 
that  grip  once  and  for  all  by  sending  an  additional  five 
hundred  to  the  fund.  Again  he  had  a  bad  night.  He 
walked  the  floor.  He  endeavored  to  compose  himself 
with  a  book.  By  no  expedient  was  he  able  to  throw 
off  the  feeling  of  chagrin  at  having  been  enslaved  by 
money,  or  rid  himself  of  the  sense  of  obligation  that 
now  gripped  him.  "It  was  the  hardest  battle  of  my 
life,  but  I  fought  it  through  to  a  victory."  He  did, 
indeed.  For,  three  days  after  the  eventful  call  at  his 
office,  George  Peabody,  with  exulting  heart,  sent  the 
orphanage  a  check  for  ten  thousand  dollars.     He  had 


Whose  Is  It?  155 

learned  the  joy  of  giving.  He  had  found  the  one 
thing  needful.  He  became  one  of  the  greatest  philan- 
thropists the  world  has  ever  known.  His  benefactions 
are  scattered  all  over  the  earth,  in  London,  in  Paris, 
in  Berlin,  in  Canada,  and  in  this  country. 

Speaking  from  my  pulpit  some  time  since  Dr.  G. 
Campbell  Morgan  told  of  a  letter  received  by  him 
from  a  soldier  in  the  trenches  of  France,  wherein  is 
expressed  utter  horror  at  the  waste  of  God's  money 
when  it  might  have  been  used  to  far  better  advantage. 
In  bringing  the  letter  to  a  close  the  writer  unburdened 
his  soul  thus :  "When  I  get  back  to  England  and  hear 
any  man  say,  when  challenged  to  perform  some  big 
service  for  Christ  and  humanity,  We  cannot  afford 
it,'  I  shall  feel  like  hauling  off  and  knocking  him  down. 
We  can't  afford  it — indeed?  If  we  cannot  afford  to 
invest  our  money  in  constructive  and  life-saving  meas- 
ures then  in  heaven's  name  how  can  we  afford  to  in- 
vest it  in  death  and  damnation?" 

My  brethren,  have  done  with  the  thought  of  "giv- 
ing.'* "Invest"  is  the  New  Testament  word.  In  our 
administration  of  the  money  with  which  God  has  en- 
trusted us  there  must  be  more  trust  and  greater  trust- 
worthiness. The  sooner  impulsiveness  gives  place  to 
conscientiousness,  the  sooner  will  there  be  a  genuine 
revival  of  religion,  prosperity,  patriotism,  and  lasting 
peace. 

God  forbid  that  I  should  judge  my  brother.  I  may 
judge  myself — and  I  do.  But  there  was  once  a  Judge 
who  sat  over  against  God's  treasury,  where  He  has 
remained  seated  ever  since.      Some  day  He  will  sit 


156  The  Meaning  of  Life 

upon  a  judgment  seat  with  account  books  opened  be- 
fore Him.  The  thought  gives  me  pause — it  searches 
me  and  humbles  me.  God  grant  that  the  verdict  may 
be,  "Thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will 
make  thee  ruler  over  many  things."  Of  this  at  least 
I  am  sure;  if  in  this  life  I've  truly  formed  a  partnership 
with  God  there  will  be  no  disappointments. 

Inscribed  upon  the  cornerstone  of  the  Theological 
Seminary,  in  Nanking,  China,  is  the  following  noble 
sentiment : 

"This  building  is  the  gift  of 

Miss  Mary  Myrtle  Warren, 

of  Beatrice,  Nebraska,  U.  S.  A., 

a  young  woman  whose  fortune  is  dedicated  to 

the  triumphs  of  Christianity  in  all  lands. 

In  the  name  of  the  Divine  Giver, 

of  Him  who  taught  us  how  to  use  life's  gifts.'* 

I  beseech  you,  brethren,  to  write  some  such  dedica- 
tion as  this  upon  the  cornerstone  of  your  life.  In 
the  perpetual  controversy  with  greed  and  self  may  we 
be  found  on  the  right  side. 

"Who  then  is  that  trustworthy  steward  whom  the 
Lord  shall  entrust  with  all  His  possessions?'* 


XIV 
"YOU  CAN'T  FOOL  GOD" 

"Is  it  not  enough  that  you  have  wearied  men, 
will  ye  weary  my  God  also?''     Isaiah  7:13. 

An  exceedingly  instructive  bit  of  history  this  from 
which  the  text  is  chosen.  Briefly,  it  is  the  story  of  a 
Godless  King,  who  speaks  pious  words.  In  the  collo- 
quy recorded,  Ahaz  appears  to  better  advantage  than 
Isaiah.  Not  that  Ahaz  was  altogether  bad.  History 
permits  the  assertion  that  this  king  had  some  excellent 
qualities.  Although  an  idolater,  at  times  he  espoused 
the  true  religion.  We  may  even  strain  a  point  in  our 
zeal  to  do  him  full  justice,  and  class  Ahaz  among  the 
average  men  of  the  world,  who  talk  in  a  beautiful  and 
pious  way  about  religious  matters.  As  such  he  fur- 
nishes us  an  excellent  study. 

Let  us  step  back  a  little  from  the  context  that  we 
may  gain  a  proper  perspective  of  the  man.  Elsewhere 
(2  Chron.  28 :  5,  6)  we  learn  that  King  Ahaz  has  been 
twice  defeated;  once  by  the  Syrians  and  once  by  the 
Israelites.  Emboldened  by  their  victories,  these 
nations  unite  in  -an  effort  at  extermination.  The 
chapter  opens  with  a  picture  of  the  united  forces  lay- 
ing siege  to  Jerusalem.  "The  king's  heart  was  moved, 
and  the  heart  of  his  people,  as  the  trees  of  the  wood  are 

157 


158  The  Meaning  of  Life 

moved  with  the  wind."  Verse  2  indicates  the  state  of 
panic  within  the  royal  city,  occasioned  by  the  siege. 
Every  one  is  in  trepidation;  all  are  pessimistic.  No, 
not  all ;  the  preacher  keeps  his  head.  The  value  of  one 
man  of  faith  in  a  great  crisis  is  here  exemplified.  God 
directs  His  servant,  Isaiah,  to  proceed  at  once  to  the 
king  with  a  message  of  assurance  and  an  offer  of 
deliverance.  The  terms  are  the  simplest  possible. 
Ahaz  is  to  break  his  alliance  with  a  heathen  power  and 
commit  his  entire  case  to  God.  When  God's  message 
of  salvation  is  delivered,  Isaiah  detects  the  shadow 
upon  the  countenance  of  the  king,  which  he  interprets 
as  doubt,  and  he  presses  upon  Ahaz  the  importance  of 
faith — 'Tf  ye  will  not  believe,  surely  ye  shall  not  be 
established."  (Verse  9)  But  the  shadow  lingers  and 
God  directs  the  preacher  to  give  the  hesitating  king  a 
crutch  for  his  weak  faith.  "Ask  thee  a  sign  of  the 
Lord,  thy  God;  ask  it,  either  in  the  depth,  or  in  the 
height  above."  (Verse  11)  Elaborated  somewhat 
the  preacher  is  saying :  "You  are  doubting  God's  will- 
ingness or  His  ability  to  accomplish  this  great  dehver- 
ance.  If  so,  prove  Him ;  ask  of  Him  a  sign ;  seek  from 
Him  some  token — let  it  be  anything  you  wish,  ask  it 
in  the  realm  above  you,  or  the  realm  about  you  that 
you  may  know  His  servant  is  holding  out  no  false 
hope."  Oh,  the  patience  of  God  with  one  who  stands 
undecided  upon  the  threshold  of  salvation. 

But  it  is  not  a  question  of  doubt;  it  is  a  matter  of 
self -surrender.  Isaiah  has  drawn  a  chalk  line  and 
Ahaz  is  determined  he  will  not  cross  it.  He  dare  not 
risk  God's  displeasure  by  a  flat  refusal  of  salvation,  so 
he  resorts  to  a  sanctimonious  excuse:  *T  will  not  ask 


"You  Can't  Fool  God"         159 

(for  a  sign),  neither  will  I  tempt  the  Lord."  (Verse 
12).  These  words  sound  well;  they  make  it  appear 
that  Ahaz's  faith  needs  less  bolstering  than  Isaiah's. 
The  prophet,  however,  is  too  keen  a  reader  of  human 
nature  to  be  deceived  by  such  sanctimoniousness;  he 
knows  perfectly  well  that  Ahaz  is  merely  evading  deci- 
sion. We  may  imagine  that  it  is  with  some  degree  of 
righteous  indignation  that  he  speaks  out  the  words  of 
the  text,  'Ts  it  not  enough  that  you  weary  men,  will 
you  weary  my  God  also?"  If  I  may  descend  to 
modern  paraphrasing,  Isaiah's  remark  is  this :  *'You 
make  me  tired,  with  your  insincere  piety."  In  that 
hour  of  evasion,  when  the  messenger  of  God  stood  be- 
fore the  besieged  king,  pressing  upon  him  God's  offer 
of  salvation  upon  terms  of  immediate  self-surrender, 
the  fate  of  Jerusalem  was  decided  for  more  than  two 
thousand  years.  The  text  suggests  two  very  practical 
thoughts  which  have  direct  and  personal  application. 

Observe  that  men  remain  unsaved  and  outside  of  the 
church  chiefly  because  they  evade  God's  offer  of  salv- 
ation. When  the  offer  is  made,  how  many  can  you 
find  who  will  make  bold  to  say :  "I  do  not  want  to  be 
saved"?  Few,  indeed.  Who  is  not  expecting  to  be 
saved  some  time?  To  a  certain  point,  in  the  effort 
at  soul-winning,  the  minister's  work  is  not  difficult. 
When  he  declares  that  the  citadel  of  life  is  besieged  by 
a  strong  alliance  of  temptation,  habit,  sin  and  ruin; 
that  of  himself  man  cannot  lift  the  siege;  that  God  only 
is  able  to  deliver  the  soul  from  death,  the  eyes  from 
tears  and  the  feet  from  falling,  there  is  almost  universal 
approval  from  the  pew.     It  would  seem  to  be  a  work 


160  The  Meaning  of  Life 

of  supererogation  to  spend  much  time  in  an  effort  to 
convince  an  audience  of  average  intelligence  of  the 
truth  of  such  statements.  The  most  unrepentant 
sinner  will  follow  the  minister  to  this  extent.  But, 
just  at  the  point  of  decision  the  battle  is  lost,  as  Isaiah 
lost  it.  Very  clearly  did  Ahaz  realize  the  danger  of  his 
situation  and  the  impending  doom  of  the  city.  When, 
however,  the  line  was  drawn  by  the  prophet  and  the 
panic-stricken  king  was  asked  to  step  over  the  line  to 
God  and  to  deliveran<:e,  he  evaded  the  issue  and  sought 
to  hide  himself  under  the  pious  reply,  'T  will  not  ask 
for  a  sign,  neither  will  I  tempt  God."  What  a  flimsy 
covering  for  a  godless  heart.  Not  reverence,  but  rebel- 
lion, prevented  Ahaz  from  stepping  out  from  beneath 
the  cloud  into  the  sunlight  of  God's  loving  favor  and 
deliverance.  Sanctimonious  excuses !  They  have  cov- 
ered the  shame  of  none  and  have  lured  thousands  upon 
thousands  to  their  ruin. 

After  receiving  the  most  explicit  instructions  to  de- 
stroy utterly  Agag,  king  of  A'malekites,  both  men  and 
women,  oxen  and  sheep,  camels  and  asses,  King  Saul 
obeyed  only  in  part  and  spared  the  best  of  the  sheep 
and  oxen  and  lambs  and  all  that  was  good.  So  great 
was  God's  displeasure  that  he  sent  the  prophet  Samuel 
to  meet  the  returning  conqueror  with  a  well-merited 
reproof.  But  the  sinner  did  not  wait  for  the  preacher 
to  deliver  his  message.  As  soon  as  Saul  saw  Samuel, 
his  conscience  reproved  him.  A  guilty  conscience 
needed  no  accuser.  Hoping  to  cover  his  own  con- 
fusion and  throw  sand  into  the  preacher's  flashing  eyes, 
the  king  began  some  pious  talk:  "Blessed  be  thou  of 
the  Lord;  I  have  performed  the  commandment  of  the 


"You  Can't  Fool  God"  161 

Lord."  Quick  as  a  flash  Samuel  tore  away  the  mask 
of  insincerity:  ''What  meaneth  then  this  bleating  of 
the  sheep  in  mine  ears,  and  the  lowing  of  the  oxen 
which  I  hear?"  And  the  conscience-smitten  king  is 
again  ready  with  a  pious  answer.  "The  people  spared 
the  best  of  the  sheep  and  of  the  oxen  to  sacrifice  unto 
the  Lord."  Here  is  a  double  evasion.  He  throws 
all  the  blame  upon  the  people  and  justifies  his 
own  disobedience  on  the  ground  that  it  was  for  a 
good  purpose.  Brushing  aside  the  sanctimonious  ex- 
cuses, Samuel  drives  the  sword  of  truth  straight  home 
in  the  words,  "To  obey  is  better  than  sacrifice.  For 
rebellion  is  as  the  sin  of  witchcraft  and  stubbornness 
is  as  iniquity  and  idolatry.  Because  thou  hast  rejected 
the  word  of  the  Lord,  He  has  also  rejected  thee  from 
being  king."     (i  Sam.  15). 

And  what  is  the  immediate  application  of  these  cita- 
tions ?  This :  Men  are  to-day  evading  the  direct  ap- 
peal of  the  pulpit  by  just  such  sanctimonious  excuses. 
As  a  way  out  of  his  dilemma  the  unsurrendering  hearer 
tells  the  minister  that  God  is  too  good  and  loving  to 
permit  any  one  to  be  lost.  Think  you  God  is  flattered 
by  such  compliments  from  one  who  can  stand  unmoved 
beneath  the  thunderings  of  Sinai  and  the  darkness  of 
Golgotha?  The  excuse  is  a  mere  evasion,  and  the 
Saviour's  answer  to  it  is  this :  "Whosoever  shall  con- 
fess me  before  men,  him  will  I  confess  before  my 
Father  which  is  in  heaven.  But  whosoever  shall  deny 
me  before  men,  him  will  I  also  deny  before  my  Father 
which  is  in  heaven."  (Matt.  10:32)  Who  does  not 
know  that  in  the  gift  of  His  Son  God  has  done  all  that 


162  The  Meaning  of  Life 

He  can  to  save  the  world,  and  He  now  leaves  every  one 
to  settle  the  matter  for  himself  whether  he  will  or  will 
not  enter  the  wide-open  door  of  salvation? 

Another  apology :  "I  realize  my  need,  and  I  am  trust- 
ing in  Christ  as  my  Saviour,  but  I  am  not  good  enough 
to  join  the  church."  A  sanctimonious  excuse;  almost 
never  anything  but  an  evasion  of  what  is  known  to  be 
the  path  of  duty.  Any  honest  man,  well-versed  in  the 
Bible,  and  observant  of  present-day  conversions,  knows 
well  enough  the  speciousness  of  such  pious  talk.  To 
whom  did  Christ's  call  come  ?  Let  the  Saviour  answer 
for  Himself:  "I  came  not  to  call  the  righteous  but 
sinners  to  repentance."  From  which  it  follows  that 
the  greater  yours  is  the  louder  is  Christ's  call  to  you 
to  accept  salvation  and  come  into  His  church. 

Again,  some  one  evades  the  direct  appeal  of  the  pul- 
pit in  such  words  as  these :  "I  realize  my  need  of  salv- 
ation, but  I  must  not  join  the  church;  I  fear  I  may 
bring  reproach  upon  Christ  and  His  cause."  They 
say  a  poor  excuse  is  better  than  none ;  but  surely  this  is 
not  even  a  poor  excuse.  Turn  anywhere  you  will  in  the 
story  of  the  earthly  life  of  our  Lord  and  note  how  this 
reproach  was  the  very  thing  which  Christ  courted. 
Over  and  over  again  did  the  Pharisees  call  Jesus  the 
friend  of  publicans  and  sinners.  A  church  that  can 
harbor  a  Saul  of  Tarsus,  a  vacillating  Peter,  a  sinning 
Mary,  a  dying  thief  and  a  perfidious  Judas  will  not 
suffer  much  from  the  addition  of  even  so  great  a  sinner 
as  you  represent  yourself  to  be. 

Or  the  evasion  may  take  this  form :  "I  cannot  think 
of  giving  Christ  this  wreck  of  a  life,  this  bankrupt 
character.     I  must  bring  forth  fruits  meet  for  repent- 


"You  Can't  Fool  God"         163 

ance.  I  must  lay  up  some  treasures  of  good  deeds,  holy 
thoughts,  high  resolves,  before  I  can  entertain  the  hope 
of  becoming  a  church  member."  Believe  me,  my 
hearer,  your  reasoning  is  wrong.  "All  the  fitness  He 
requireth  is  to  feel  your  need  of  Him."  Should  you 
defer  this  important  step  for  twenty  years  (which  God 
grant  you  may  not),  you  would  then  be  in  the  same 
frame  of  mind  as  at  present,  and  would  come  into 
Christ's  church  as  all  other  true  seekers,  with  such 
words  as  these  upon  your  lips : 

"Nothing  in  my  hands  I  bring, 
Simply  to  Thy  cross  I  cling. 
Naked,  come  to  Thee  for  dress. 
Helpless,  look  to  Thee  for  grace; 
Vile,  I  to  the  fountain  fly. 
Wash  me,  Saviour,  or  I  die." 

Away  with  such  excuses !  They  are  not  a  whit  more 
sincere  or  germane  than  the  pious  babble  of  the  un- 
repentant and  willful  Ahaz. 

Every  excuse  is  an  evasion,  when  one  stands  before 
the  open  door  of  salvation  upon  whose  arch  is  carved 
in  everlasting  letters  the  unconditioned  invitation, 
"Whosoever  will  may  come." 

The  other  thought  suggested  by  the  text  is  this : 
In  these  evasions  of  the  pew  lie  the  chief  discourage- 
ment to  the  pulpit.  The  charge  is  often  made  that  the 
minister  no  longer  preaches  the  Gospel.  Is  it  not  more 
generally  true  that  the  hearers  evade  the  Gospel  ?  The 
pulpit  thunders  against  sin  and  calls  upon  the  sinners 
to  repent,  and  those  in  the  pew  console  themselves  with 


164  The  Meaning  of  Life 

the  reflection  that,  quite  probably,  the  preacher  has 
upon  his  heart  the  poor  wretch  in  the  slums  or  the 
heathen  in  a  remote  land. 

In  preparing  a  narrative  upon  the  state  of  religion 
for  presentation  to  Presbytery,  I  was  greatly  interested 
in  some  of  the  replies  which  pastors  sent  in  answer  to 
this  question :  "What  are  the  chief  discouragements  to 
the  work  in  your  field  ?"  The  pastor  in  one  of  our  best 
churches  expressed  the  disappointment  of  his  own  heart 
in  these  words  :  "The  chief  discouragement  in  this  field 
is  that  there  are  no  sinners."  This  pastor  was  voicing 
the  sentiment  of  the  clergy  as  a  whole. 

How  often  in  public  address  and  private  convers- 
ation you  have  been  led,  step  by  step,  to  the  very  verge 
of  decision  only  to  waver  and  fall  back  upon  some  pet 
excuse  quite  as  flimsy  as  that  offered  by  King  Ahaz. 
Prayer,  entreaty,  encouragement  have  been  resorted  to, 
without  avail.  One  communion  succeeds  another ;  the 
years  stand  in  long  line  dreading  the  time  when  they 
must  witness  against  you ;  a  multitude  of  unimproved 
opportunities,  like  rejected  angels,  are  weeping  their 
entreaty  beside  the  portal  of  salvation,  but  the  same 
excuses  are  heard,  you  remain  unmoved.  Is  it  not 
enough  to  tax  the  patience  of  any  one?  Well  may  a 
pastor  join  in  the  lament  of  Jesus  :  "We  have  piped  unto 
,  you  and  you  have  not  danced,  we  have  mourned  unto 
you  and  ye  have  not  lamented." 

After  all,  of  what  use  are  excuses?  They  neither 
justify  your  indecision,  nor  hide  your  true  motives. 
Yoti  are  not  deceiving  God  by  elaborate  apologies, 
nor  are  you  deceiving  your  minister,  nor  yet  are  you 


"You  Can't  Fool  God"  165 

deceiving  yourself.  No  need  that  one  shall  tell  you  it 
is  not  the  excuse  over  which  you  stumble,  but  the  will.' 
You  know  perfectly  well  that  it  is  not  unfitness  that 
keeps  you  out  of  the  church,  but  unwillingness.  Is  it 
not  enough  that  you  have  wearied  your  minister,  who, 
since  your  childhood,  has  pleaded  with  you  to  give  your 
heart  to  God?  Will  you  weary  God  also?  Is  it  not 
enough  that  you  have  wearied  a  devoted  Sabbath 
School  teacher,  whose  advice  and  love  have  followed 
you  through  the  years  ?  Will  you  weary  God  also  ?  Is 
it  not  enough  that  you  have  wearied  a  godly  father,  and 
a  praying  mother,  both  of  whom  have  crossed  the 
threshold  of  the  stars?  Will  you  weary  God  also? 
Angels  weep !  that  we  should  lead  men  to  the  very  gates 
of  paradise  only  to  see  them  turn  away  and  rush  on  to 
destruction. 

Are  we  to  understand  that  God  is  wearied  by  our 
long  delay?  Verily,  yes;  but  never  to  the  point  of 
turning  His  back  upon  any  sinners  who  will  come  to 
Him.  The  father  may  give  up  in  despair,  the  mother 
may  cease  all  effort,  save  prayer,  the  minister  may 
pronounce  you  a  hopeless  case,  but  Christ  will  follow 
you  with  His  yearning  until  death  shall  have  closed 
forever  the  door  of  opportunity. 

Some  years  ago  I  brought  into  my  household  an 
orphaned  boy  of  about  twelve.  His  father  and  mother 
had  been  early  friends  of  mine.  Raised  on  a  farm,  the 
lad  had  never  before  seen  a  city.  To  tell  of  my  ex- 
periences during  the  first  few  weeks  would  be  amusing, 
but  I  pass  that  by  as  having  nothing  to  do  with  our 
present  discussion.     During  the  months  that  followed 


166  The  Meaning  of  Life 

a  strong  attachment  developed  between  us.  The  boy 
was  never  more  happy  than  when  in  my  company. 
We  would  sit  by  the  hour  and  talk  over  his  studies, 
his  pleasures,  and  his  ambitions  for  the  future.  But 
one  day  I  thought  I  detected  a  change  in  the  lad.  I 
endeavored  to  dismiss  the  suspicion  from  my  mind,  but 
it  persisted.  There  could  be  no  doubt  about  it,  some- 
thing had  disturbed  our  tender  relations.  Naturally 
enough,  in  seeking  an  explanation,  I  sent  my  memory 
back  over  the  path  of  the  yesterdays  in  search  of  some 
blunder  or  oversight  upon  my  part,  but  could  recall 
nothing  which  would  furnish  an  explanation  of  the 
boy's  behavior.  After  assuring  myself  that  I  had  not 
changed  in  my  attitude  towards  him,  I  began  as  tact- 
fully as  possible  to  study  my  ward.  Whenever  I 
talked  with  him  his  eyes  sought  the  ground;  when  I 
took  him  out  walking,  he  lagged  behind ;  when  I  invited 
him  to  bring  his  books  into  my  study  (which  had  been 
his  former  delight)  he  excused  himself,  and  finally, 
for  various  reasons,  he  did  not  find  it  convenient  to 
join  me  at  mealtime.  At  my  wit's  end,  I  finally  sought 
out  his  day-school  teacher,  who  informed  me  that  he 
had  been  very  naughty.  Having  apprised  myself  of  all 
the  facts,  I  called  the  boy  into  my  study.  At  first  he 
would  not  enter,  but  stood  with  his  feet  in  the  crack  of 
the  door,  thus  preparing  himself  for  a  hasty  retreat 
should  occasion  demand.  But,  I  reassured  him  by  say- 
ing that  he  need  have  no  fear  of  me  since  I  would  al- 
ways remain  his  true  and  kind  friend.  When  he  was 
seated  opposite  to  me  I  began  our  conference  with  a 
few  leading  questions ;  had  I  been  unkind  to  him  at  any 
time?  had  I  denied  him  any  legitimate  pleasure?  had 


"You  Cant  Fool  God"         167 

I  overlooked  his  needs?  was  he  feeling  well?  etc. 
Then  I  closed  in  upon  him  with  my  questions,  and 
little  by  little  I  drew  forth  the  confession,  and  then  the 
tears,  and  then  a  perfect  storm  of  repentance  which 
broke  me  up  quite  as  much  as  it  did  the  lad.  But 
when  it  was  all  over  and  the  full  confession  had  been 
made  to  me  and  reparation  had  been  made  to  the 
teacher  in  the  shape  of  a  note  of  apology,  the  clouds 
broke,  and  through  the  tears  I  could  see  the  sunshine. 
Immediately,  the  boy  was  himself  again,  and  we  were 
upon  the  same  terms  of  intimacy  as  before.  As  he  sat 
before  me  that  evening,  giving  me,  sentence  by  sen- 
tence, the  story  of  his  guilt,  which  I  already  knew,  I 
thought  I  understood,  as  never  before,  the  great  im- 
portance of  a  confession  of  one's  sins  to  Christ  and 
of  public  acknowledgement  of  Him  as  Saviour.  Christ 
yearns  to  have  you  draw  near  to  Him,  but  so  long  as 
you  excuse  yourself  from  the  confession,  which  must 
be  made  before  forgiveness  can  be  granted,  there  will 
remain  a  wide  gulf  of  separation. 

Oh,  the  patience  of  Christ,  who  can  measure  it? 
When  man  refused  to  crown  Him  King  of  his  life, 
Jesus  took  the  thorns  and  crowned  Himself  monarch 
in  the  Kingdom  of  Disappointment ;  when  man  declined 
to  lay  hold  of  those  outstretched  hands  of  mercy, 
Jesus  spread  them  forth  and  nailed  them  to  the  cross 
in  everlasting  testimonial  that  ''Whosoever  will  may 
come ;"  when  man  spurned  the  love  that  paid  the  price 
of  sin,  Jesus  opened  His  side  and  revealed  to  the  world 
a  broken  heart. 


XV 

THE  CRY  FROM  THE  DEEP 

"Then  they  cry  unto  the  Lord  in  their  trouble, 
and  He  hringeth  them  out  of  their  distresses. 
He  maketh  the  storm  a  calm,  He  hringeth  them 
to  their  desired  haven/'     Psalm  107:28. 

Not  long  since  a  certain  Line  set  out  to  build  the 
biggest,  safest,  strongest  ship  in  the  world.  Hun- 
dreds of  workmen  were  engaged.  The  best  minds, 
the  best  skill  were  drafted  for  the  project.  Months 
rolled  on  into  years  before  the  leviathan  was  com- 
pleted at  a  cost  of  seven  million,  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  She  was  the  last  word  in  ship  building. 
Equipped  with  every  conceivable  device  for  safety 
and  comfort  of  passengers  and  crew,  she  was  heralded 
far  and  wide  as  the  first  absolutely  non-sinkable  ship. 
And  appearance  justified  the  boast.  Stability  and 
security  were  written  in  every  line  and  dimension. 
She  was  882  feet  In  length  and  92  feet  in  breadth. 
She  measured  105  feet  from  keel  to  the  top  of  the 
captain's  bridge.  She  was  90  feet  out  of  water  when 
loaded  at  66,000  tons  displacement. 

And  then  she  put  proudly  to  sea  with  band  playing, 
flags  fluttering,  and  passenger  list  of  more  than  fifteen 
hundred;  her  maiden  voyage  had  begun.  Sailing  out 
of  the  harbor  she  proclaimed  her  superiority  to  the 
world  from  an  exalted  bow  upon  which  was  the  single 

168 


The  Cry  from  the  Deep         169 

word  "Titanic.'*  Passengers,  crew  and  an  onlooking 
world  were  full  of  the  spirit  of  the  occasion.  Many 
had  crossed  to  the  other  side  that  they  might  enjoy 
the  honor  and  the  pleasure  of  this  premier  voyage  of 
the  greatest  ship  afloat.  I-nto  sunlight  she  steamed  at 
record-breaking  speed,  with  laughing  heart  in  bright 
expectation  of  long  years  of  service  to  human  well- 
being.  The  voyage  was  almost  ended — the  captain's 
banquet  and  the  brilliant  last-night-out  ball  were  over ; 
all  was  silent  but  for  the  pulsebeat  of  mighty  engines. 

It  was  a  wonderful  night, — starlit  sky,  glassy  sea, 
crisp  atmosphere.  Suddenly  a  white  specter  arose  out 
of  the  deep  and,  extending  a  long  arm,  drew  a  knife- 
like blade  of  ice  from  stern  to  stern,  cutting  out  the 
bottom  of  the  ship.  There  had  been  no  jar  so  there 
was  little  alarm.  Men  and  women  joked  as  picking  up 
gleaming  bits  of  ice  from  the  deck  they  passed  them 
around,  souvenirs  of  the  Titanic's  first  victory  over  the 
forces  of  nature. 

But — the  ship's  proud  head  began  to  droop.  Banter 
gave  place  to  anxiety  which  officers  sought  to  allay. 
"Have  no  fear.  No  harm  can  come  to  us  on  such  a 
night,  on  such  a  sea,  on  such  a  ship.  The  Titanic  is 
unsinkable."  But  slowly  the  bow  drooped  lower  and 
lower  in  humiliation  and  defeat.  And  within  one  hour 
the  Titanic  plunged  head  first  to  her  grave  in  the  deep. 

Such  is  life's  proud  boast;  so  endeth  man's  short 
dream  of  greatness  and  power.  Thus  hapless  and  help- 
less is  the  strongest  as  the  weakest  in  the  iron  grip  of 
forces  second  only  to  God  Himself  in  power.  In  this 
single  tragedy  of  the  deep  I  find  a  parable  of  every  life. 


170  The  Meaning  of  Life 

For  life  is  a  sea. 

Its  ships  are  these  poor  bodies,  strong  or  frail, 

Faith  constitutes  the  anchor,  hope  the  sail, 

While  reason  is  the  pilot  at  the  wheel. 

The  sins  that  we  must  shun  are  rocks  and  reefs, 

Our  troubles  are  the  storms  that  cause  us  grief. 

While  this  immortal  soul  that  God  has  given 

Is  but  one  passenger  en  route  for  heaven. 

Our  text  voices  the  utter  helplessness  of  man  in  the 
grip  of  an  inescapable  crisis.  Whoever  wrote  this 
psalm  had  surely  been  to  sea.    How  graphic  it  is. 

"They  that  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships,  that  do  business 
in  great  waters ; 

'These  see  the  works  of  the  Lord,  and  His  wonders  in 
the  deep. 

"For  He  commandeth,  and  raiseth  the  stormy  wind,  which 
lifteth  up  the  waves  thereof. 

"They  mount  up  to  heaven,  they  go  down  again  to  the 
depths;  their  soul  is  melted  because  of  trouble. 

"They  reel  to  and  fro,  and  stagger  like  a  drunken  man, 
and  are  at  their  wit's  end. 

"Then  they  cry  unto  the  Lord  in  their  trouble  and  He 
bringeth  them  out  of  their  distresses." 

/  In  no  calling  is  knowledge  more  exact  than  in  the 
■  life  of  the  seafaring.  From  mathematical  calculations 
to  the  tying  of  a  knot  the  sailor  must  be  accurate.  He 
must  know  the  language  of  the  heavens,  the  flight  of 
the  stars,  the  moods  of  the  deep  and  last,  but  by  no 
means  least,  human  nature.  Man  is  at  his  best  when' 
he  stands  on  the  bridge  successfully  navigating  his  craft 
through    fog    and    storm    to    some    far-away    port. 


The  Cry  from  the  Deep         171 

Sailors  have  little  patience  with  theories.  Experience 
— life-long  experience  is  the  honored  school-master  of 
the  craft.  Any  theory  may  do  for  landlubbers,  but  not 
for  those  ''that  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships." 

Notwithstanding  this  exact  knowledge  how  utterly 
helpless  are  officers  and  crew  in  the  grip  of  an  awful 
calamity.  Size  of  the  vessel  affords  no  security. 
Rank  of  office  guarantees  no  immunity.  Length  of 
service  counts  for  little  or  nothing.  Ofttimes  the 
highest  officer,  the  wi'^est  navigator  and  the  biggest 
ship  are  first  to  succumb. 

*Tis  even  so  in  the  voyage  of  life.  Solomon,  the 
wise,  cried  as  loudly,  "Out  of  the  depths  I  cry  unto 
thee,  O  God"  as  did  Peter,  the  fisherman,  ''Lord,  save 
me,  I  perish!"  David,  the  King,  and  Jonah,  the 
preacher,  confess  their  helplessness  in  identically  the 
same  words,  "All  Thy  waves  and  Thy  billows  have 
gone  over  me." 

I  am  aware  that  there  are  those  who  will  not  admit 
this  helplessness  of  man.  So  much  the  worse  for 
them.  This  but  proves  they  have  never  launched  out 
into  the  deep;  they  have  never  exposed  themselves  in 
vast  zones  of  danger  where  only  faith  survives.  As 
for  us,  the  text  depicts  extremity  that  we  have  known 
often  and  all  too  well. 

Aye,  and  the  text  does  more.  It  offers  an  assurance 
We  would  pass  on  to  others.  It  is  this :  Although 
helpless  man  is  by  no  means  hopeless.  "They  cry — : 
He  delivereth." 

"He  delivereth  them  out  of  all  their  distresses." 

I  would  have  you  note  the  oft-repeated  "He."     He 


172  The  Meaning  of  Life 

bringeth  them  out  of  their  distresses.  He  maketh  the 
storm  a  calm.  He  bringeth  them  to  the  desired  haven. 
It  is  God  who  walks  the  billows  by  which  man  is  over- 
whelmed. Seeing  whom  the  Psalmist  adds,  "Oh,  that 
men  would  praise  the  Lord  for  His  goodness." 

Wrote  Mr.  Emerson,  "O  friend,  never  strike  sail 
to  fear.  Come  into  port  greatly,  or  sail  with  God  the 
seas.  Not  in  vain  you  Hve,  nor  yet  alone.  For  every 
eye  is  cheered  by  the  vision  of  Him."  Have  you  this 
vision,  my  friend? 

I  close  my  eyes  and  see  Him  yonder  upon  the  sea 
of  Galilee.  "Contrary  winds"  engulf  the  disciples; 
sailors  are  at  their  wits'  end.  And  then  He  comes ! — 
the  Son  of  Man.  His  very  coming  alarms,  until  He 
calls  across  the  heaving  billows,  "It  is  I,  be  not  afraid." 
And  as  I  look  I  seem  to  feel  myself  a  sailor  in  that 
boat,  for  often  thus  He  has  come  to  me. 

Again  I  close  my  eyes  and  see  another  little  ship 
upon  the  same  sea.  This  time  Jesus  is  on  board — 
asleep.  The  men  row  hard  to  bring  the  ship  to  land, 
for  winds  are  contrary.  Again  I  hear  a  cry  of  help- 
lessness, "Master,  carest  Thou  not  if  we  perish?" 
Indeed  He  cares,  and  forthwith  delivers  them  out  of 
all  their  distresses,  bidding  wind  and  waves  to  subside. 

Account  for  this  Divine  interposition  as  you  will, 
incredulous  one.  Tell  us  the  storm  was  less  with- 
out than  within  the  hearts  of  the  sailors;  that  Jesus 
simply  stilled  fears  and  not  the  tempest.  The  explana- 
tion does  not  satisfy.  You  have  yet  to  account  for 
the  most  striking  feature  of  the  New  Testament  nar- 
rative, remarked  upon  by  those  on  board  that  stormy 


The  Cry  from  the  Deep         173 

night.  *'What  manner  of  man  is  this  that  even  the 
wind  and  the  sea  obey  him?"  The  psalmist  beheved 
that  God  hath  power  to  calm  any  ocean,  to  tame  any 
blow ;  so  did  the  disciples,  and  so  do  I. 

For  thousands  of  years  this  psalm  has  proclaimed 
that  there  is  a  Divine  Helper  upon  whom  one  may  call 
in  any  storm.  I  would  proclaim  it  again.  I  am  ad- 
dressing navigators  who  have  known  stormy  voyages. 
Waves  of  unrest  have  tossed  you  about.  You  have 
been  repeatedly  driven  from  the  course  by  winds  of 
doctrine  and  deceits  of  men.  You  have  been  buffeted 
by  storms  of  passion.  Some  of  you  have  drifted  into 
church  much  crippled;  prayer's  wireless  long  since 
went  overboard,  Bible  chart  in  tatters,  compass  injured, 
needle  of  conscience  no  longer  to  be  relied  upon; 
faith's  anchor  was  broken  in  some  gale  you  barely 
weathered.  Every  faculty  of  your  being  has  at  one 
time  or  another  mutinied.  Time  and  again  reason  has 
proved  a  mistaken  pilot,  bringing  you  more  than  once 
to  the  verge  of  shipwreck.  Have  you  cried  unto  God  ? 
He  is  there!  He  walks  the  sea  of  life  to-day  as  He 
walked  the  waves  of  old  Gennesaret.  We  cry — He 
delivers. 

The  Radio  Pilot  is  something  quite  new  in  nautical 
science.  But  he  is  as  old  as  mother  nature — only  man 
has  not  hitherto  made  his  acquaintance.  During  the 
recent  naval  maneuvers  in  southern  waters  this  Radio 
Pilot  navigated  an  obsolete  battleship,  used  as  a  target 
by  American  gunners.  An  amazing  story  it  is — of  a 
great  ship  sailing  on  and  on,  without  a  human  being 


174  The  Meaning  of  Life 

on  board,  guided  by  invisible  waves  from  a  far-off 
master-ship. 

Even  more  wonderful  things  are  in  store,  the  Naval 
Board  informs  us.  We  are  told  of  the  perfection  of 
a  Radio  Pilot  which  will  soon  steer  any  ship  through 
the  San  Francisco  Channel,  in  the  densest  fog  and  the 
darkest  night.  Upon  approaching  this  harbor  the 
officer  upon  the  bridge  will  step  aside  and  turn  over 
the  wheel  to  an  invisible  and  mysterious  hand  which 
will  safely  pilot  the  vessel  through  the  Golden  Gate  to 
safe  anchorage  within  the  quiet  harbor. 

When  science  promises  such  marvelous  things,  shall 
we  doubt  that  God  has  power  to  pilot  a  helpless  soul 
amidst  storm  and  stress  and  fog  through  the  golden 
gate  of  a  simple  Christian  faith  to  safe  anchorage 
within  the  harbor  of  peaceful  deUverance? 

As  I  look  out  upon  the  audience  before  me  I  think 
of  the  influence  that  brought  you  sailing  into  this 
peaceful  bay  of  Sabbath  worship.  How  did  it  happen? 
What  hand  was  on  the  wheel?  I  have  a  feeling  that 
a  Divine  Radio  Pilot  stood  upon  the  bridge.  God 
guided  you.  You  set  out  for  a  Sunday  morning  walk. 
You  found  yourself  in  church.  You  just  ''dropped 
in.''  Ah,  but  did  you?  You  had  not  been  in  church 
for  years,  but  this  being  Mothers'  Day  you  thought  you 
ought  to  go.  God  brought  you.  All  unrealized  by 
you,  radio  influences  from  the  Heavenly  Father  di- 
rected your  footsteps.  He  who  gave  the  minister  his 
message  designed  that  you  should  hear  it.  In  a  mo- 
ment you  will  sail  out.  Immortal  Spirit,  I  ''speak 
you" — Ship  ahoy !    Take  on  the  Pilot.     It  is  my  hope 


The  Cry  from  the  Deep        175 

and  prayer  that  many  may  be  led  by  this  message  to 
say,  'The  unseen  Pilot's  hand  is  upon  me,  though  I 
knew  it  not.  I  am  resolved  to  go  forth  in  humble  and 
willing  acceptance  of  His  guidance." 

"Jesus,  Saviour,  pilot  me,  over  life's  tempestuous 
sea.*'    Make  this,  my  hearer,  your  cry  from  the  deep. 


XVI 
LIFE  IN  THE  OPEN 

*'Can  any  understand  the  noise  of  His  taber- 
nacle f''     Job  36 :  29. 

In  mythology  we  are  told  of  a  very  wonderful 
building  somewhere  betwixt  heaven  and  earth.  The 
walls  are  of  resounding  brass.  A  thousand  entries 
and  windows  are  concealed  from  human  sight  by 
glorious  foliage.  There  are  no  doors  to  shut,  so  they 
stand  open  night  and  day.  Through  the  many  open- 
ings all  sounds  of  earth  and  every  word  that  is  spoken 
enter,  and  the  discord  roareth  every  way,  then  passeth 
out  through  the  apertures  by  which  they  entered, 
ascending  to  Olympus  as  entrancing  harmony,  well 
pleasing  to  the  gods. 

What  a  pity  this  ancient  fantasy  is  not  a  present-day 
reality!  How  unfortunate  that  the  Bible  contains  no 
corresponding  conception !  Ah,  but  this  extraordinary 
building  is  a  reality,  and  we  find  it  described  in  even 
greater  detail  in  the  Word  of  God.  What  is  more, 
we  discover  that  its  location  is  not  so  remote  as  the 
ancients  thought.  The  building  is  well  within  the  bor- 
der of  our  work-a-day  world.  So  follow  me,  if  you 
will,  that  I  may  lead  you  into  a  dwelling-place  of  God, 
where  every  jarring  note  of  a  discordant  life  may  be 
transformed  into  melody. 

A  tabernacle,   Elihu  calls  it.     The  allusion  is  to 

176 


Life  in  the  Open  111 

nature — God*s  great  out-of-doors.  "Can  any  under- 
stand the  noise  of  his  tabernacle?"  Much  depends 
upon  the  answer  one  is  able  to  make  to  the  question. 

Job  was  in  great  trouble,  consequently  sore  per- 
plexed. Having  lost  property,  loved  ones  and  health 
all  in  a  twinkling,  he  finds  himself  plunged  into  that 
tangled  woodland  of  speculation  well  known  to  the 
afflicted.  He  must  find  his  way  out  into  the  clearing. 
Being  a  good  man,  he  first  turns  to  theology  for  com- 
fort, and  theology  breaks  down  under  the  weight  of 
so  great  and  undeserved  woe.  Quite  naturally  he  then 
looks  to  his  friends.  But  friends  fail  in  this  crisis. 
He  dismisses  them  with  the  words,  ''miserable  com- 
forters are  ye  all."  He  seeks  consolation  from  his 
wife,  and  the  only  Hght  she  is  able  to  throw  upon  the 
problem  is :  ''Change  your  reHgion.  There  must  be 
something  radically  wrong  with  your  belief  in  Provi- 
dence and  the  profit  of  godliness.  Surely  a  loving  God 
would  not  permit  you  to  suffer  thus.  Curse  God  and 
die !" 

Finding  his  trusted  supports  gone,  Job  is  thrown 
back  upon  his  own  intellectual  processes.  His  mind 
wanders  about  blindly  through  the  universe  crying, 
Why,  Why,  Why?  But  there  is  no  answering  voice. 
No  sound  comes  to  his  ear  but  the  ceaseless  grinding 
of  the  wheels  of  that  remorseless  machine  known  vari- 
ously as  cosmos,  force,  law.  No  compassion  looks 
down  upon  him  from  the  eyeless  sockets  of  fate.  He 
senses  no  warm  thrill  as,  reaching  up  out  of  a  sea  of 
trouble,  he  grasps  the  dead  hand  of  philosophy.  He 
is    desolate,    alone,    defeated   before   the    mystery   of 


178  The  Meaning  of  Life 

being.  Yet  not  alone,  for  in  his  extremity  God  finds 
the  afflicted  man,  and  with  loving  hand  conducts  him 
into  the  temple  of  nature,  that  he  may  there  read  the 
meaning  of  it  all,  and  come  at  last  to  know  the  har- 
mony of  life,  which  too  close  proximity  to  single 
blatant  notes  has  made  it  impossible  for  him  to  discern. 

Those  hours  alone  with  God  out-of-doors  were  the 
greatest  of  Job's  life.  It  was  an  experience  never  to 
be  forgotten.  He  was  shown  the  foundations  of  the 
tabernacle,  the  beams  laid  in  light,  the  dome  as  of 
molten  glass  supported  upon  pillars  of  morning  and 
pillars  of  evening,  and  the  many  encircling  galleries, 
mountain  upon  mountain,  tier  above  tier.  His  atten- 
tion is  called  to  the  sunrise  tapestries,  the  verdant  car- 
peting and  the  starry  chandeliers,  particularly  to  the 
Pleiades  and  Orion  cluster. 

**You  shall  now  hear  my  great  organ."  So  saying 
God  drew  the  vox-angelica  stop,  and  Job  heard  the 
music  of  insect  life;  the  flute  and  piccolo  stops,  and 
he  listened  to  the  music  of  bird  life;  the  trumpet  stop, 
and  the  instrument  gave  forth  the  rich,  strong  tones 
of  animal  Hfe.  Then  came  the  dulcimer,  the  music  of 
pattering  raindrops.  Finally  the  deep-throated  double 
open  diapason  was  heard  as  reverberating  thunder 
shook  the  temple  to  its  very  foundation. 

At  this  psychological  moment  the  Almighty  turned 
suddenly  upon  his  perplexed  servant  with  the  ques- 
tion, *  Where  wast  thou  when  I  made  all  this?  Tell 
me,  if  thou  canst."  Job  has  no  adequate  answer.  His 
soul  has  been  stirred  to  its  utmost  depth.  In  a  hushed 
whisper  of  reverential  awe  and  humility  he  speaks,  "I 


Life  in  the  Open  179 

have  heard  of  Thee  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear,  but  now 
mine  eye  seeth  Thee.  For  the  first  time  I  understand 
the  noise  of  Thy  Tabernacle.  I  see  it  all  quite  clearly 
now.  I  live  in  a  universe  of  intelligence,  power,  order, 
concord  and  benevolence.  Forgive  me.  Lord,  that  I 
ever  misjudged  or  doubted  heaven's  blessings  or 
thee." 

"So  be  it,  troubled  heart.  Now  that  thine  own  soul 
hath  found  the  peace  of  God,  pray.  Pray  for  the 
theologians,  thy  friends,  thy  wife.  Pray  for  the 
world,  that  all  may  understand  the  noise  of  my  taber- 
nacle." 

He  prayed  that  day,  prayed  as  never  before.  The 
service  over.  Job  went  back  to  his  complex  life  to  meet 
at  the  tabernacle  door  faith,  health,  and  prosperity 
more  abundant  than  he  had  ever  known  before. 

Have  we  so  read  Job?  No?  Then,  dear  friends, 
we  have  never  read  the  book  at  all.  This  immortal 
epic  of  the  inner  life  reaches  its  climax  in  the  six 
beautiful  nature  chapters  with  which  it  closes.  One 
hundred  and  sixty  verses  of  God's  unspoiled  handi- 
work, in  every  one  of  which  is  seen  Almighty  power, 
divine  providence,  and  undeviating  good  will.  The 
lesson  is  this :  A  universe  in  which  is  clearly  seen  a 
loving  will  cannot  be  purposeless. 

Thus  far  I  have  sought  to  surround  you  with  the 
atmosphere  of  the  text.  Now  let  us  enter  his  taber- 
nacle, that  we  may  find  for  ourselves  all  that  Job 
found.  Habitually  men  of  old,  when  hard  pressed  by 
inexplicable  circumstances,  sought  peace  and  comfort 
out  of  doors,  alone  with  God.    'T  will  lift  up  mine  eyes 


180  The  Meaning  of  Life 

unto  the  hills  whence  cometh  my  help,"  is  the  key  to 
the  Psalmist's  trustful  though  checkered  life.  I  see 
Elijah  in  those  hours  of  reaction  following  the  great- 
est triumph  of  his  life.  Faith  spent  from  that  shining 
victory  for  God  on  Mount  Carmel.  Physical  strength 
spent  from  running  so  after  the  King's  chariot. 
There  he  sits  beneath  the  juniper  tree  depressed  beyond 
words.  *'What  doest  thou  here,  Elijah?"  God  asks. 
''Lord,  everything  has  gone  to  smash :  religion,  the- 
ology, thine  altars,  thy  prophets.  I  am  the  only  one 
left,  and  they  seek  my  life."  Of  course,  there  is  not 
a  word  of  truth  in  much  of  this,  but  no  use  to  argue 
with  a  man  when  he  is  in  such  a  state  of  physical  and 
spiritual  collapse.  He  must  have  rest,  sleep,  food. 
These  God  provides.  But  he  needs  something  infinitely 
more.  He  must  get  hold  of  himself,  get  back  his 
faith,  get  a  firmer  grip  upon  God.  This  he  succeeds 
in  doing  under  circumstances  as  fascinating  to  me  now 
as  when  read  to  me  in  childhood  by  a  Christian 
mother.  Elijah  regained  his  faith  at  an  organ  recital 
in  nature's  temple.  He  had  a  choice  box-seat  in  a 
cleft  of  the  rock.  The  divine  organist  used  that  day 
the  earthquake  stop,  the  fire  stop,  the  wind  stop.  As 
the  music  of  the  vox  hiimana  stilled  and  caressed 
him,  Elijah  felt  his  weariness  and  despondency  drop- 
ping from  him  as  clothing  from  the  tired  body  at 
bedtime  hour.  "Why!"  said  he,  "there  is  order,  har- 
mony, love,  after  all!" 

Where,  if  not  out  of  doors,  alone  with  God,  did 
Jesus  refresh  His  soul,  strengthen  His  faith  and  make 
resolute  His  purpose?     Long  days  and  nights  in  the 


Life  in  the  Open  181 

wilderness,  nights  of  prayer  in  the  mountains,  alone 
with  God  in  the  garden, — here  were  the  everflowing 
springs  from  which  He  slaked  His  thirst  and  nerved 
Himself  for  the  highest  and  best  endeavor. 

Again  the  summer  is  upon  us,  and  so  far  as  pos- 
sible let  us  seek  refreshment  for  body,  soul  and 
spirit  amidst  templed  hills,  cathedral  pines  and  peaceful 
countryside.  Man  made  the  cities,  God  made  the 
country.  If  we  have  lost  God  in  the  maze  of  daily 
life  we  shall  find  Him  yonder. 

These  are  days  of  unprecedented  perplexity  and 
world-engnlfing  sorrow.  One  is  positively  bewildered 
in  the  presence  of  such  colossal  aw  fulness.  But  there 
is  something  bigger  than  skyscraper,  dreadnaught  and 
gun.     Go  find  it. 

Have  we  been  caught  in  the  impact  of  the  "super- 
man" and  the  "under-man"  ?  Have  both  elbowed  God 
out  of  consideration?  Then  let  us  take  a  look  at  the 
Grand  Canyon  of  Arizona.  Perhaps  we  shall  feel  as 
did  a  famous  artist  who  went  thither  quite  confident 
he  could  capture  the  glories  of  that  scene  for  his 
canvas.  He  came  away  without  unpacking  his  brushes. 
When  asked  for  an  explanation  he  said,  'T  dared  not 
insult  God." 

Do  we  fear  that  Christianity,  idealism  and  all  the 
rich  heritage  of  past  centuries  are  lost  forever  ?  Have 
the  springs  of  sentiment  and  emotion  gone  dry?  We 
may  take  our  fears  to  Kentucky  and  follow  the  course 
of  the  lost  river,  so  called  because  it  vanishes  into  a 
cave  no  one  knows  whither. 

Do  the  pounding  waves  of  world-unrest  affright 
us?     H  we  go  and  stand  by  the  sea-side  we  may  be 


182  The  Meaning  of  Life 

reassured  by  the  voice  of  Omnipotence,  "thus  far  shalt 
thou  go  and  no  further/' 

Have  we  lost  Christ  and  faith  in  a  Kingdom  over 
which  He  shall  reign?  Follow  Peter's  "I  go  a-fishing." 
Fishing  is  a  means  of  grace — at  least  so  I  have  found 
it.  A  hook,  a  brook,  a  shady  nook — ah,  what  medi- 
cine for  shattered  nerves  and  what  rehabilitation  for 
a  despoiled  life! 

Does  the  world  seem  a  howling  wilderness  and  well- 
nigh  uninhabitable  because  of  wild  instincts  that  prowl 
about  by  day  and  by  night  ?    Then  feed  the  squirrels. 

A  scene  comes  to  mind.  It  was  a  beautiful  June 
evening.  I  sat  upon  a  bench  in  Riverside  park. 
Nearby  lay  a  working-man  upon  his  back  gazing  up 
at  the  processioning  clouds.  Beside  him  sat  his  wife, 
puUing  at  the  grass,  and  his  Httle  child,  feeding  a  gray 
squirrel.  Presently  I  heard  him  remark,  "Who  says 
there's  a  world-war?"  A  musical  laugh  was  the  wife's 
only  response.  I  studied  the  group,  and  my  heart  went 
out  to  them.  All  the  burdens  of  life  had  been  hfted 
during  those  few  precious  moments  in  God's  out-of- 
doors. 

As  things  stand  to-day,  there  is  grave  peril  for  our 
sanity  and  institutions  unless  we  let  go  and  let  God 
speak.  Slacken  up  on  nerve  tension  and  thought 
buckle;  let  God  ease  the  harness.  Relax  and  He  will 
reveal. 

Many  there  are  to  whom  war  has  brought  changes 
almost  as  great  as  those  enumerated  in  Job.  Posses- 
sions have  taken  wings,  loved  ones  are  gone,  health  is 
impaired,  friends  have  not  all  proved  true,  religion  is 


Life  in  the  Open  183 

no  longer  the  consolation  it  once  was.  Nobody  under- 
stands, apparently  nobody  cares.  All  of  which  proves 
we  are  being  initiated  into  the  greatest  secret  society 
of  the  world — ^the  Fellowship  of  Suffering.  And  we 
shall  never  find  peace  and  confidence  until  we  have 
received  the  highest  degree,  kneeling  beside  our  Lord 
in  some  garden  with  His  words  of  self -dedication 
upon  our  lips,  "nevertheless  not  my  will  but  Thine  be 
done.'^ 

I  once  heard  Dr.  F.  B.  Myer  tell  a  Northfield  audi- 
ence how,  in  the  greatest  intellectual  and  spiritual 
crisis  of  his  life,  he  fled  to  a  wooded  hillside  over- 
looking the  town  where  he  was  pastor,  to  escape  the 
doubts  and  fears  that  hounded  him.  He  was  on  the 
verge  of  insanity.  He  had  written  his  resignation  and 
was  resolved  to  demit  the  ministry.  Think  of  it — he, 
one  of  the  greatest  spiritual  preachers  of  his  age! 
After  hours  of  pacing  to  and  fro,  he  found  his  answer, 
and  with  it  peace,  kneeling  in  prayer  beside  a  fallen 
tree. 

It  is  necessity,  not  literary  art,  that  offers  the  solu- 
tion for  Job's  quandary  in  rocks  and  stars,  storm  and 
sunshine,  whirlwind  and  whispering  waters.  In  no 
other  fashion  could  the  Almighty  be  fittingly  intro- 
duced into  the  drama.  The  measure  of  truth  is  the 
measure  of  form  required  for  its  expression.  To 
Nicodemus's  ''How  can  these  things  be?"  Jesus  replies 
in  terms  of  nature.  The  implication  is  that  regenera- 
tion is  too  profound  for  verbal  explanation. 

Those  spiritual  truths  most  needing  emphasis  at  this 
time  are  too  magnificent  for  words.   Salvation  through 


184  The  Meaning  of  Life 

vicarious  suffering,  the  joy  of  service,  the  passion  for 
righteousness,  the  beauty  of  human  brotherhood,  the 
glory  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  love  of  God — what  tongue 
or  pen  or  mind  is  sufficient  for  such  themes?  Where 
then  shall  we  turn  for  light  and  understanding? 
Where  Job  turned. 

Since  nature  is  good  and  God  is  God  we  may  abide 
in  confidence,  if  we  will.  Although  the  leaves  fade 
trees  grow.  Although  there  is  noise  in  the  branches 
as  they  succumb  to  the  elements  and  rustling  among 
the  leaves  lying  dead  upon  the  ground,  the  roots  con- 
tinue growing  in  silence.  Death  is  ostentatious,  not  so 
life. 

It  was  the  close  of  a  perfect  spring  day.  We  were 
leaving  behind  us  Egypt,  with  its  colossal  monuments 
of  a  past  civilization,  and  Palestine,  with  what  little 
is  left  of  the  early  beginnings  of  that  eternal  Kingdom 
which  the  Christ-man  is  erecting.  Our  ship  was  steam- 
ing across  the  Mediterranean  directly  toward  the 
golden  gate  of  an  exquisite  sunset.  I  stood  upon  the 
upper  deck  just  under  the  officers'  bridge,  regarding 
a  scene  to  me  as  impressive  as  was  the  prodigality  of 
the  Artist  invisible,  who  spilled  as  many  colors  upon 
the  sea  as  He  spread  upon  His  canvas,  the  sky.  Drawn 
as  by  a  magnet,  passengers  and  crew  were  crowded 
together  as  far  forward  as  they  could  get.  About  me 
stood  first  cabin  passengers,  men  of  affairs,  ladies  of 
fashion,  youths  of  ambition,  lovers,  and  several  in 
deep  mourning.  On  the  deck  below  were  the  second 
cabin  passengers,  while  a  motley  company  from  almost 
every  quarter  of  the  globe,  swarming  the  steerage  deck, 


Life  in  the  Open  185 

put  standing-room  at  a  premium.  There  was  little 
conversation.  Upon  every  deck  each  was  alone  with 
his  own  thoughts — and  with  God.  It  was  to  me  one 
of  those  wonderful  moments  of  life.  The  throb  of 
the  machinery,  the  swish  of  the  waves  at  the  bow,  the 
sunset,  the  transfixed  gazers — I  can  give  you  only  the 
faintest  conception  of  the  impressiveness  of  the  pic- 
ture. Standing  in  that  group,  there  came  to  mind 
words  inspired  by  a  similar  scene,  "There  is  no  speech 
nor  language  where  their  voice  is  not  heard." 

Again  it  is  the  close  of  a  day  we  thought  perfect. 
Humanity  is  sailing  into  a  sunset  more  spiritually 
glorious  by  reason  of  the  many  clouds  that  with 
broken  wings  are  flying  over  our  heads  into  the  night 
behind  us.  Who  does  not  feel  the  spell  of  the  hour? 
Who  has  not  had  his  moments  alone  with  his 
thoughts  ?  But  the  gathering  twilight  is  pregnant  with 
a  new,  a  better  day.  Even  now  Faith  whispers  to  the 
soul,  "The  morning  breaketh."  So  take  your  sorrows, 
doubts,  anxieties,  dear  heart,  into  his  tabernacle  this 
summer  and  be  at  rest. 

"Can  any  understand  the  noise  of  his  tabernacle?" 
Yes,  Elihu,  they  can,  and  they  do.  And,  because  they 
understand,  men  are  more  and  more  coming  to  believe 
that  intelligence,  power,  order,  harmony  and  love  pre- 
side over  this  jarring  era,  and  that  some  day  the  sob 
of  the  nations  will  become  the  new  song  of  the  re- 
deemed. 


XVII 

ASSUMPTION— THE  FIRST  STEP  IN 
ACHIEVEMENT 

"Now  are  they  hut  one  body/'     I  Corin- 
thians, 12 :  20. 

As  one  enters  the  visitors'  gallery  of  the  Congres- 
sional Library  at  Washington  the  first  thing  the  eyes 
rest  upon  is  an  inscription  upon  the  opposite  wall  of 
the  great  octagonal  reading  room : 

"One  God,  one  law,  one  element  and  one 
far-off  divine  event  to  v^hich  the 
whole  creation  -moves," 

There  above  the  many  men  of  many  minds  fre- 
quenting the  reading  room;  there  above  the  many 
books  of  many  kinds  reposing  in  cases  and  iron 
stacks  is  emblazoned  the  shining  ideal  to  which  the 
world  is  moving — unity. 

Just  now  the  whole  creation  is  moving  in  the  direc- 
tion of  this  goal  with  ever  increasing  momentum. 
Perhaps  the  divine  event  is  not  so  far  off  as  we  had 
supposed.  Truly  unity  is  in  the  air.  Statesman 
and  ecclesiastic,  business  and  labor  are  seeking  more 
earnestly  than  ever  before  to  substitute  cooperation  for 
competition,  brotherhood  for  bitterness. 

And  the  world  is  looking  to  the  church  of  the 
186 


Assumption  187 

Christ  to  lead  the  way.  As  the  Bishop  of  Oxford, 
Rt.  Rev.  Charles  Gore,  put  it  in  a  moving  address  :  **No 
league  of  nations  will  be  sufficient  unless  it  be  based 
on  the  universality  of  the  brotherhood  of  man  in  which 
denomination,  schism,  sectarianism  and  class  distinc- 
tion are  broken  down  and  Christendom  reunited  in 
one  great  Catholic  Church." 

On  every  hand  and  in  every  land  there  is  a  growing 
demand  for  one  Holy  Catholic  Apostolic  Church — 
the  corporate  name  as  given  in  the  oldest  creed  of 
Christendom.  This  may  not  be  the  name  ultimately 
agreed  upon,  but  it  certainly  embodies  the  essence  of 
the  church  universal  as  originally  conceived  by  our 
Lord  and  by  His  first  disciples.  But  how  is  the  happy 
consummation  to  be  brought  about  ?  ''Aye,  there's  the 
rub."  Many  and  earnest  are  the  enquiries  as  to  the 
best  "modus  vivendi"  and  a  veritable  epidemic  of  unity 
meetings  has  broken  out.  Spontaneously  and  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  country  and  of  the  world  confer- 
ences and  conventions  are  being  held.  Duly  accredited 
delegates  appointed  by  various  ecclesiastical  bodies 
have  set  out  from  Europe  and  from  America  to  make 
overtures  to  Christians  across  the  seas,  only  to  find  to 
their  immense  surprise,  sympathetic  convocations  in 
session  waiting  to  receive  them — God's  Spirit  having 
outrun  the  missioner.  Such  a  delegate  from  the  Greek 
Orthodox  Church  less  than  twenty- four  hours  after 
landing  in  New  York  found  himself  seated  on  the 
platform  in  a  great  unity  conference  of  the  Presbytery 
of  New  York.  Such  is  the  quickened  sense  of  oneness 
throughout  Christendom. 

How  shall  we  proceed  to  give  body  to  these  hopes 


188  The  Meaning  of  Life 

and  expectations?  Why  not  follow  the  example  of 
St.  Paul?  The  context  presents  a  platform  for  Chris- 
tian unity  which  cannot  be  improved  upon  for  direct- 
ness, tact  and  practicability.  Paul  handled  divisions 
in  the  church  of  his  day  with  decision  and  despatch. 
Before  our  great  purpose  becomes  clouded  with  non- 
essentials, before  the  mind  has  had  opportunity  to 
erect  barriers  in  the  way  of  spiritual  progress  let  the 
heart  speak,  let  faith  declare  itself.     How? 

First,  by  making  a  hold  assumption  that  we  are 
already  one.  The  question  is  often  asked :  *Ts  Organic 
Union  a  possibility?"  Unquestionably.  It  is  even 
now  an  accomplished  fact,  did  we  but  realize  it.  The 
sooner  we  recognize  the  fact  and  approach  each  other 
in  the  spirit  of  conference  rather  than  in  the  spirit  of 
distrust  the  better  for  the  cause.  Such  is  the  New 
Testament  method  of  approach. 

Paul  met  the  schisms  undermining  the  first  century 
church  with  the  bold  affirmation,  "Now  are  ye  one 
body."  Upon  the  hypothesis  that  believers  were  al- 
ready members  of  one  body  he  set  about  making  them 
function  harmoniously.  He  treated  a  negative  situa- 
tion with  a  positive  corrective.  He  reminds  his 
patients  that  they  are  suffering  from  an  eruption  upon 
the  surface  and  not  from  any  organic  disturbance. 
And  when  we  review  the  facts  this  diagnosis  is  fully 
confirmed. 

The  Corinthian  Church,  with  characteristic  Greek 
admiration  for  wisdom  and  eloquence,  had  mistaken 
adroit  rhetoric  and  flaming  oratory  for  the  real  thing 
— spiritual  experience.     Therefore  "I  am  for  Paul;  I 


Assumption  189 

am  for  Apollos;  I  am  for  Cephas."  Thus  many  sin- 
cere Christians  became  entangled  in  the  meshes  of 
theological  controversy,  and  Christian  casuistry.  How 
is  the  Apostle  to  extricate  his  spiritual  children  from 
the  snares  of  negation?  By  calling  them  back  to 
reality,  namely  their  indissoluble  oneness  in  Christ. 

Is  not  this  the  crux  of  the  whole  matter?  Are  we 
or  are  we  not  in  Christ?  If  we  are,  then  we  are  one 
body,  by  whatsoever  names  our  several  members  may 
be  known.  To  declare,  then,  for  organic  union  is  not 
to  propose  something  new  and  radical;  it  is  to  assert 
something  old  and  fundamental.  It  is  our  ancient 
faith  endeavoring  to  restore  what  has  become  atro- 
phied, what  has  been  lost.  At  heart  we  are  in  har- 
mony, in  spirit  we  are  one,  in  mind  we  are — how  shall 
I  put  it — addled.  We  have  sacrificed  collective  con- 
sciousness for  group  consciousness.  If  this  be  so  the 
unhappy  problem  of  disunion  should  be  treated  bio- 
logically and  not  mechanically.  We  may  take  to  our- 
selves the  illuminating  words  spoken  by  Clemenceau 
at  the  opening  of  the  Peace  Conference,  "The  League 
of  Nations  is  here.  It  is  ourselves.  It  is  for  us  to 
make  it  live,  and  to  make  it  live  we  must  have  it  really 
in  our  hearts."  The  withinness  of  the  unity  move- 
ment is  the  dominant  note  which  must  be  sounded  over 
and  over  until  all  pipes  in  the  vast  organ  of  Chris- 
tendom are  voiced  and  tuned. 

Organic  union  is  not  a  matter  that  must  await  the 
tardy  decision  of  ecclesiastical  procedure.  It  is  a  won- 
derfully articulated,  diversely  functioning  body  of 
reality,  created  not   from  without  by  denominational 


190  The  Meaning  of  Life 

mandate  but  from  within  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  Organic 
union  is  biological,  not  theological.  Nothing  short  of 
this  interpretation  does  justice  to  ist  Corinthians,.  12. 
Here  as  elsewhere  the  physical  body  is  represented  as 
the  counterpart  of  the  Christian  body.  The  union  for 
which  the  Master  prayed  is  not  an  alliance  or  a  fed- 
eration. It  is  a  living  thing — multiform  yet  uni- 
form. 

We  are  coming  more  and  more  to  see  that  this  is 
the  case.  Not  alone  in  the  trenches  of  Europe  have 
men  of  different  belief  felt  their  essential  oneness. 
Wherever  there  has  been  comradeship  in  service  or  in 
sacrifice  the  same  thrill  of  reality  is  experienced.  That 
which  divides  us  cannot  be  so  very  vital,  else  the  line 
of  cleavage  would  be  more  clearly  marked.  Is  it  not 
a  fact  that  a  twilight  zone  of  considerable  proportion 
forms  the  boundary  line  between  great  denominations  ? 
Is  it  not  true  that  the  larger  number  of  believers  in- 
habit this  zone?  The  most  astute  theologians  find  it 
increasingly  difficult  to  determine  exactly  where  one 
denomination  ends  and  another  begins.  Only  the  other 
day  I  heard  Dr.  H.  K.  Carroll^  the  Government 
statistician,  say,  *T  am  often  hard  put  to  determine 
from  their  belief  and  practice  just  how  to  classify 
churches."  And  a  glance  at  his  statistical  report  visu- 
alizes this  difficulty.  For  example,  there  are  fifteen 
different  kinds  of  Baptists,  eighteen  varieties  of  Lu- 
therans, sixteen  branches  of  Methodism  and  eleven 
subdivisions  of  Presbyterianism.  Must  union  (or 
better  reunion)  be  delayed  until  these  one  hundred  and 
sixty  odd  Protestant  denominations  agree  upon  tenets 
which  shall  bind  them  together  in  a  united  church  of 


Assumption  191 

Jesus  Christ?  I  hope  not.  Why  suffer  longer  the 
paralysis  of  a  discordant  idea  when  the  miracle  work- 
ing Spirit  stands  ready  to  set  us  free  from  our  in- 
firmity ? 

''Now  are  we  one  body."  Whenever  a  venture  has 
been  made  upon  this  assumption  results  have  more 
than  justified  it.  Witness  the  many  interdenomina- 
tional movements  for  ethical  reform,  for  social  service 
and  for  spiritual  quickening.  Witness  the  late  la- 
mented Interchurch  World  Movement,  which  swept  so 
many  off  their  feet.  Whatever  the  defects  of  this 
movement  it  discovered  to  one  and  to  all  undreamed 
of  eagerness  to  express  in  concrete  form  the  spirit  of 
oneness  so  universally  strong  within  us. 

From  the  neck  down  the  *'Body  of  Christ"  is  mani- 
festly  united.  There  is  a  tacit  agreement  among  the 
members ;  there  is  a  working  agreement.  We  are  one 
in  spirit,  one  in  heart,  one  in  service;  why  not  one  in 
mind?  Possibly  we  are;  and  will  so  discover  when 
the  Pentecostal  Spirit  enables  us  to  understand  each 
other's  tongue.  The  mental  conflict  which  rages  in 
every  one's  being  would  cease  if  we  should  come  to- 
gether with  the  one  object  of  declaring  the  wonderful 
works  of  God. 

In  England  they  have  already  done  this  in  large 
measure;  consequently  the  unity  movement  is  further 
advanced  over  there.  Such  movements  as  the  Swanic 
Fellowship  (taking  its  names  from  the  town  where 
the  meetings  are  held)  have  greatly  advanced  the 
movement.  At  first  it  was  a  company  of  Non- 
Conformist  ministers  drawn  together  by  a  yearning 


192  The  Meaning  of  Life 

for  spiritual  fellowship  and  meeting  in  secret.  Then 
it  became  two  companies,  the  one  Non-Conformist  and 
the  other  Anglican,  meeting  simultaneously  in  towns 
three  miles  apart,  because  of  the  ecclesiastical  ban  put 
upon  the  movement  by  the  latter  body.  But  between 
the  sessions  members  of  the  respective  conferences 
gravitated  together  in  friendly  intercourse,  and  the 
Spirit  did  its  work.  So  the  secret  came  out,  as  evi- 
dence of  one  living  Christian  organism  began  to 
appear.  Then  followed  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit.  And 
now  the  churches  of  England  are  eagerly  awaiting  the 
time  when  the  essential  unity  of  Christian  denomina- 
tions is  officially  recognized  and  a  corporate  form  and 
title  of  this  Church  Universal  is  evolved.  Doubtless 
the  union  of  Christendom  will  be  brought  about  by 
the  same  biological  processes. 

Again,  still  following  the  example  of  St.  Paul,  let 
there  be  a  declaration  for  a  platform  of  tolerance. 
And  by  tolerance  I  do  not  mean  indifference,  but  a 
generous  recognition  that  diversity  is  inevitable  in  any 
organism.  Remember,  we  are  not  trimming  a  Christ- 
mas tree;  we  are  planting  a  Christian  tree.  "Thou 
knowest  not  what  it  shall  be/'  Is  not  this  the  thought  ? 
"Now  are  we  many  members,  but  one  body.'' 

We  must  somehow  contrive  to  pool  our  beliefs,  so 
to  speak.  Denominational  differences  have  not  been 
wholly  deplorable.  It  might  be  a  great  loss  to  Chris- 
tendom, certainly  it  would  be  a  great  handicap  upon 
the  unity  movement  were  we  to  quench  the  light  of 
great  truths  which,  'tis  thought,  some  folks  have  seen 
more  clearly  than  others.     "The  eye  cannot  say  to  the 


Assumption  193 

hand,  we  have  no  need  of  you/'  The  curse  of  de- 
nominationalism  has  grown  up  out  of  the  necessity 
for  striking  back  in  defense  of  certain  things  "revealed 
unto  some  and  not  unto  all/'  Eliminate  the  attack 
and  the  bristling  defenses  will  fall  into  decay  as  so 
many  unsightly  fortifications  which  enlightened  civili- 
zation has  rendered  useless.  Organic  union  should  not 
impair  liberty  of  conscience  any  more  than  it  does  the 
sovereignty  of  states. 

We  are  so  constituted  that  we  are  incapable  of  seeing 
things  alike.  Some  feel  about  union  as  Charles  Lamb 
felt  about  music;  "Sentimentally  I  am  for  harmony, 
but  organically  I  am  incapable  of  carrying  a  tune." 
All  due  allowance  should  be  made  for  the  self-evident 
fact  that  so  long  as  we  are  in  the  body  there  will  be 
diversity  of  gifts  and  differences  of  operation.  To 
many,  who  sentimentally  are  for  harmony,  compro- 
mise would  be  intolerable  and  conformity  would  be 
irksome. 

More  than  one  effort  to  unite  Christendom  has  failed 
dismally  for  no  othei  reason  than  this ;  it  was  too  arbi- 
trary, too  mechanical.  For  instance  during  the  middle 
ages  an  effort  was  made  to  unite  Christendom  by 
means  of  uniformity  of  belief;  everywhere  the  same 
belief  embodied  in  the  same  tongue.  Mechanically 
the  program  had  everything  in  its  favor.  There  was 
the  authority  of  the  Papal  Church  supported  by  Impe- 
rial Rome.  The  Holy  Roman  Empire,  it  was  called. 
But,  as  Professor  Richards  aptly  remarks,  "It  was  too 
holy  to  be  Roman  and  too  Roman  to  be  holy."  This 
time  it  is  organism  not  mechanism  which  we  should 
have  in  mind. 


194  The  Meaning  of  Life 

The  foreign  missionary  field  presents  some  admi- 
rable examples  of  Christian  unity  which  might  be 
studied  with  profit.  Dr.  Arthur  J.  Brown  was  thrilled 
and  enlightened  by  organic  union  as  he  observed  it  in 
the  far  East.  One  address  to  which  he  listened  em- 
bodied the  spirit  which  must  now  prevail  if  the  various 
Christian  bodies  in  the  homeland  are  ever  to  get 
together.  A  Chinese  Christian  began  an  address  by 
pointing  to  one  after  another  of  the  American  Chris- 
tians present  as,  impressively,  he  uttered  these  earnest 
words :  "You  are  a  Presbyterian  and  you  cannot  help 
it;  you  were  born  that  way.  You  are  a  Methodist 
and  you  cannot  help  it;  you  were  born  that  way. 
You  are  an  Episcopalian  and  you  cannot  help  it.; 
you  were  born  that  way.  We  are  Christians  and 
we  don't  propose  to  let  you  keep  us  apart."  The  as- 
sembled Chinese  Christians  represented  every  denomi- 
nation to  which  allusion  was  made  and  many  others. 
They  were  all  enjoying  denominational  advantages 
made  possible  by  denominational  generosity  in  Eng- 
land and  in  America.  They  were  loyal  to  their  re- 
spective branches  of  Christianity.  And  yet,  they  were 
one — spiritually  one — organically  one. 

Is  such  unity  feasible  in  America  and  throughout 
the  world?  I  am  sure  of  it.  And  I  might  justify  this 
faith  by  proofs  aplenty  were  there  time  and  space.  It 
has  been  my  happy  privilege  to  witness  many  evidences 
of  the  essential  unity  now  present  in  the  various 
branches  of  Christianity.  A  very  recent  experience  is 
characteristic. 

The  scene:  A  committee  room  where  numerous  in- 


Assumption  195 

terdenominational  conferences  have  been  convened. 
The  occasion :  An  earnest  desire  to  attempt  something 
really  catholic  and  statesmanlike  in  a  home  mission 
field  where  there  has  been  overlapping.  The  partici- 
pants :  Officially  designated  representatives  from  six 
outstanding  denominations.  First  there  was  friendly 
exchange  of  ideas ;  then  the  cordial  recognition  of  our 
essential  unity;  then  frank  acknowledgement  of  the 
unwisdom  of  the  existing  "Go-as-you-please-system," 
and  its  utter  inadequacy.  After  which  the  conference 
took  up  the  particular  duties  entrusted  to  it,  to- 
wit:  first,  the  mapping  out  of  an  adequate  and  com- 
prehensive program  for  concerted  action;  and  second 
the  establishment  of  a  theological  seminary  for  natives 
— the  latter  a  rather  ambitious  venture.  The  first  end 
was  attained  by  agreeing  upon  a  complete  survey  of 
the  whole  field  and  its  needs  in  the  light  of  a  new  day 
and  a  new  assignment  of  territory  upon  the  basis  of 
comity.  The  second  duty,  which  it  was  thought  might 
involve  greater  difficulties,  was  discharged  with  ex- 
traordinary harmony  and  dispatch.  Proceeding  upon 
the  assumption  that  we  are  all  members  of  one  body 
we  incorporated  this  belief  in  the  name  agreed  upon. 
To  call  the  new  institution  *'The  Union  Seminary" 
would  be  to  cloud  a  bright  prospect  with  memories  of 
a  former  disunion.  So  the  name  finally  chosen  was 
''The  Evangelical  Theological  Seminary,"  thereby  fix- 
ing the  gaze  of  preacher  and  parishioner  upon  the  new 
day  and  the  enlarging  opportunity  rather  than  upon 
the  old  order  and  its  misunderstandings.  Throughout 
the  conference  all  were  conscious  of  the  presence  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  and  the  consensus  of  opinion  was  that 


196  The  Meaning  of  Life 

we  were  then  enjoying,  in  a  small  way,  what  all  Chris- 
tians will  some  day  enjoy  on  a  grand  scale.  Several 
"Peters'*  were  present  who  made  bold  to  declare,  "Men 
and  brethren,  this  is  that  which  is  spoken  by  the 
prophet/' 

The  promotion  of  unity  is  a  Christian  duty  from 
which  none  may  be  absolved.  Never  have  denomina- 
tions been  so  nearly  of  one  mind  as  now.  Therefore, 
if  it  is  at  all  possible  to  unite  on  a  basis  of  Spirit  and 
service  by  all  means  let  us  do  so  and  at  once,  leaving 
the  organism  to  develop  normally  and  in  as  varied 
detail  as  the  living  Spirit  may  determine. 


XVIII 
ONE  GOD— ONE  FAITH 

"One  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  one  God 
and  Father  of  all,  who  is  above  all  and  through 
all  and  in  you  all/'     Ephesians  4 :  5. 

A  clergyman  once  took  me  to  task  for  permit- 
ting a  newly  organized  Jewish  congregation  to  hold 
regular  services  in  the  church  of  which  I  am  pastor. 
That  was  some  eight  years  ago,  when  this  particular 
type  of  hospitality  was  quite  uncommon.  Said  he,  *T 
have  long  wanted  to  ask  how  you  were  able  to  recon- 
cile such  a  desecration  with  your  Christian  belief? 
How  could  you  permit  those  who  deny  the  deity  of 
Jesus  to  worship  in  a  sanctuary  dedicated  to  Him?" 

To  which  I  replied:  "There  was  no  desecration; 
there  was  nothing  to  reconcile.  Our  hospitality  was 
the  ripe  fruit  of  our  Christian  belief.  I  thought  then 
and  I  still  think  that  by  opening  our  church  to  devout 
compatriots  of  Jesus,  making  no  charge  whatever,  we 
were  doing  exactly  what  Christians  should  do.  We 
were  expressing  the  mind  and  the  spirit  of  Jesus;  we 
were  doing  what  Jesus  Himself  would  have  done.'* 

"But,"  he  argued,  "the  Jews  deny  the  deity  of  Jesus. 
How  do  you  get  around  that  fact?" 

"I  don't  try  to  get  around  it.  I  view  this  fact  in 
the  light  of  othei  facts  and  appraise  Jews  accord- 
ingly." 

197 


198  The  Meaning  of  Life 

Then  I  asked,  "Is  not  Jesus  God?" 

"Most  certainly." 

"Well,  do  not  the  Jews  worship  God?*' 

"To  be  sure.'* 

"And  is  not  Jesus  the  Holy  Spirit?  And  do  not 
the  Jews  believe  in  the  Holy  Spirit?" 

"Quite  so/' 

"Well,  it  strikes  me,  if  the  Jews  believe  in  and 
worship  two-thirds  of  our  Trinity  we  can  afford  to 
trust  them  for  the  other  third  inasmuch  as  God  has 
been  trusting  them  for  forty  centuries." 

In  matters  of  denominational  casuistry  I  endeavor 
to  imagine  how  I  would  feel  under  similar  circum- 
stances if  I  were  God.  And  this  is  the  way  this 
Jewish  matter  lies  in  my  mind.  Here  I  am  a  clergy- 
man, my  dress  and  mode  of  life  are  in  keeping  with 
my  profession — the  greater  part  of  the  year.  But, 
when  summer  comes  and  I  betake  me  to  my  country 
home,  ministerial  attributes  are  laid  aside  and  I  become 
a  laboring  man,  working  with  pick  and  shovel,  with 
hammer  and  saw,  with  Stillson  wrench  and  monkey 
wrench.  When  a  particularly  dirty  job  is  undertaken 
I  don  overalls.  Not  infrequently  I  am  so  covered  with 
grease  and  grime  as  to  be  unrecognizable  as  a  city 
pastor. 

Numbered  among  my  best  friends  are  some  old- 
time  aristocrats,  great  sticklers  for  "the  proprieties." 
If  some  of  these  were  to  see  me  in  overalls  they  might 
fail  to  recognize  me.  Or,  although  recognizing,  they 
might  be  disinclined  to  speak  to  me  in  that  garb.  What 
would   be   my   attitude   toward   such    friends?    The 


One  God— One  Faith  199 

slight  might  be  attributed  to  near-sightedness  or  to 
mere  uppishness.  In  either  case,  it  would  never  occur 
to  me  to  lay  it  up  against  them  forever. 

Now,  Jesus  was  God  in  overalls.  I  say  this  with  all 
due  reverence  and  with  profound  gratitude.  In  Jesus, 
God  laid  aside  the  attributes  of  deity  and  donned  the 
garb  of  humanity.  This  was  not  done  for  effect  but 
for  effectiveness.  It  was  strictly  a  matter  of  neces- 
sity. A  particularly  difficult  and  disagreeable  work 
was  to  be  undertaken.  To  do  this  work  God  put  on 
working  clothes — a  concept  which  the  Jews,  the 
world's  religious  aristocrats,  have  thus  far  been  unable 
to  grasp.  For  that  matter  few  Gentiles  are  able  fully 
to  appreciate  such  superlative  self -emptying.  And  yet 
only  as  we  come  to  appreciate  this,  can  we  measure  the 
atonement  in  all  its  down-reach  and  up-lift.  As  the 
cross  indicates  the  lengths  to  which  divine  love  went 
to  lift  the  saint  to  the  right  hand  of  God,  so  the  in- 
carnation indicates  the  depth  to  which  that  love  went 
to  get  its  hands  upon  the  sinner. 

According  to  my  understanding  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment the  Jesus-God  did  not  come  to  this  earth  to  set 
up  a  new,  competitive  religion  but  to  work  out  a  com- 
pleter religion.  "Fulfill"  is  the  word  with  which  He 
announces  His  mission.  "I  came  not  to  destroy  the 
law  and  the  prophets,  but  to  fulfill."  In  Jesus  the 
Hebrew  religion  flowered;  in  Him  it  exuded  the  fra- 
grance of  the  Divine  mind  and  heart  and  spirit. 

In  Jesus  we  have  a  fuller  revelation  of  God,  not  a 
different  revelation.  He  is  a  more  personal  and  there- 
fore a  simpler  manifestation.     He  was  present  back 


200  The  Meaning  of  Life 

yonder  within  the  bosom  of  a  Hebrew's  faith;  He 
is  present  now  within  each  heart  that  feels  the 
warm  breathing  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  And  once 
upon  a  time  He  was  present  in  life's  dusty  workshop, 
clad  m  humanity,  touched  with  the  feeling  of  man's 
infirmity  and  tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we  are.  In 
each  and  every  form  He  is  the  one  God;  ''the  same 
in  substance,  equal  in  power  and  glory."  Do  we 
comprehend  it?  No,  nor  ever  shall.  Do  we  be- 
lieve it?  Yes,  with  every  God-given  instinct  of  our 
being. 

I  speak  of  these  circumstances  to  show  the  necessity 
for  a  new  valuation  of  the  religion  of  Jesus.  To  set 
forth  this  matter  of  religion  in  its  original  Christian 
light  is  the  object  of  this  discussion.  So  I  bring  you 
into  the  fresh  clear  atmosphere  of  the  apostolic  age: 
''One  God,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  one  God  and  Father 
of  all  who  is  over  all  and  m  you  all."  Words  could 
not  be  more  emphatic  and  explicit.  One  God,  one 
faith,  one  baptism,  one  Father.  Accepting  them  at 
face  value  and  as  final  it  would  seem  that  there  is  but 
one  religion  after  all. 

Who  made  this  sweeping  declaration?  Paul,  the 
Tarsan,  the  Jew,  of  the  very  race  I  was  expected  to 
debar  from  my  church,  the  man  who  once  made  the 
proud  boast  that  he  was  a  Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews. 
But  he  was  something  more.  He  was  a  Christian  of 
the  Christians.  Educated  at  the  feet  of  that  Hebrew 
scholar  and  jurist,  Gamaliel,  he  understood  the  He- 
brew viewpoint.  Enlightened  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  he 
understood  the  Christian  viewpoint.    Thus  in  Paul  and 


One  God— One  Faith  201 

his  writings  are  conjoined  and  confluent  the  two  great- 
est visions  of  God,  the  two  greatest  streams  of  divine 
revelation.  As  few  other  men  he  saw  clearly  how  the 
one  revelation  was  the  complement  of  the  other;  how 
it  requires  both  hemispheres  to  make  a  full-orbed  re- 
ligion. 

In  this  particular  passage  Paul  seeks  to  bridge  an 
apparent  chasm  between  the  time-honored  Jewish  re- 
ligion and  the  newly  established  Christian  religion,  and 
a  sorry  time  he  had  doing  it.  The  Jews  threw  him 
out  and  slammed  the  door  of  the  synagogue  in  his 
face,  and  the  Christians  kept  him  out  and  bolted  the 
door  of  the  church  against  him.  For  it  will  be  re- 
membered that  three  years  after  his  conversion  he 
applied  for  membership  in  the  Jerusalem  Church  and 
was  rejected.  Think  of  it!  The  great  apostle,  the 
inspirer  of  the  great  missionary  movement  that  has 
since  engirdled  the  earth,  the  great  theologian  and 
Christian  statesman,  unwelcome  in  his  own  household 
of  faith!  Who  could  have  better  reason  to  speak 
out,  Vho  could  speak  with  deeper  feeling,  with  more 
intense  yearning:  "One  God,  one  faith,  one  baptism., 
one  God  and  Father  of  all  and  through  all  and  in  you 
all."  Now  examine  this  miniature  edition  of  theol- 
ogy a  little  more  closely. 

What  is  the  outstanding  tenet  of  true  religion? 
The  universal  fatherhood  of  God.  From  cover  to 
cover  of  the  Book  of  God,  and  upon  every  page  it  is 
written  in  letters  of  gold,  "God  is  the  Father  of  all." 
To  proclaim  this  revelation  and  to  make  it  realizable 
is  religion  pure  and  unadulterated,  as  it  is  the  only 


202  The  Meaning  of  Life 

religion  worth  while.  If  we  haven't  this  kind  of  re- 
ligion we  are  devoid  of  the  religion  of  Jesus. 

This  tenet  is  fundamental  to  spiritual  conquest  of 
every  kind,  individual  and  social.  Unless  all  men  are 
children  of  God  it  is  quite  useless  to  talk  to  people 
about  God.  You  cannot  make  a  soul  understand  that 
which  is  generically  out  of  reach  of  that  soul.  As 
Paul  reasons  elsewhere,  "For  what  man  knoweth  the 
things  of  a  man  save  by  the  spirit  of  man  which  is 
in  him?  Even  so  the  things  of  God  knoweth  no  man 
but  the  Spirit  of  God  that  is  in  him."  If  the  spirit 
of  God  is  not  in  the  child  how  are  you  going  to  talk 
with  him  about  his  Father  ?  He  has  got  to  be  a  child 
of  God  or  all  your  talk  is  sheer  nonsense — to  him. 

Hear  it  again:  "There  is  one  God  and  Father  of 
all  who  is  above  all  and  through  all  and  in  you  all." 
One  God — the  Father.  One  faith — mutual  trust,  as 
between  father  and  child,  between  child  and  father, 
between  child  and  child.  One  baptism — not  this  or 
that  forna  of  administration  but  a  divine  infilHng;  a 
baptism  of  the  Father's  Spirit.  This — and  nothing 
short  of  this  is  the  religion  of  Jesus. 

Again,  there  is  but  one  motive  in  this  one  religion, 
namely  the  establishment  of  harmonious  family  rela- 
tions throughout  the  earth.  This  is  the  goal  toward 
which  the  whole  creation  moves.  This  in  substance  is 
Christianity's  program.  When  you  have  said  this  you 
have  comprehended  everything  else — personal  evan- 
gelism— ethical  culture — social  service — economic  jus- 
tice, civic  righteousness — industrial  democracy  and 
political  reform.     Read  verses   one  to  three  of  the 


One  God — One  Faith  203 

chapter  before  us  from  "I  beseech  you,  brethren'*  to 
"endeavoring  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the 
bonds  of  peace." 

Analyze  the  Kingdom  idea  so  insistently  enunciated 
by  Jesus  in  His  day  and  so  earnestly  stressed  by  His 
followers  in  their  day.    What  is  it  ? 

Manifestly,  the  Kingdom  idea  is  not  political,  it  is 
domestic.  Its  true  embodiment  is  not  an  organization 
but  an  organism.  It  is  not  centered  in  Washington, 
London,  the  Hague,  nor  yet  in  Jerusalem.  It  is  cen- 
tered in  your  heart  and  in  mine.  The  Kingdom  of 
God  is  within  you.  You  need  not  wait  until  you  can 
get  Kingdom  laws  written  upon  our  statute  books  or 
Kingdom  wisdom  incorporated  in  the  curriculum  of 
our  reorganized  universities.  We  are  not  dependent 
upon  these  hard  ways  of  doing  things.  There  is  an 
easier,  more  expeditious  and  more  fruitful  method  of 
getting  results.  Let  each  child  open  his  heart  and 
mind  to  the  Father's  Spirit,  and  seek  a  real  spiritual 
baptism,  and  the  Father's  faith  will  grow  out  of  that 
baptism  and  fruition  out  of  that  faith.  It  is  far  more 
important  that  we  share  God's  faith  in  man  than  that 
we  acquire  man's  faith  in  God.  Religionists  from 
time  immemorial  have  stressed  the  latter  kind  of  faith 
out  of  all  proportion  to  its  importance.  When  we  are 
filled  with  the  Father's  Spirit  and  share  the  Father's 
faith  we  shall  find  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  a  perfect 
family  circle.     Then  the  Kingdom  will  have  come. 

We  come  now  to  a  concluding  point.  There  is  one 
method  of  carrying  out  this  purpose.  It  is  that  time- 
honored   method    of    at-one-ment,    a    contrivance   to 


204  The  Meaning  of  Life 

make  it  easier  for  the  members  of  the  family  to  see 
eye  to  eye.  It  removes  middle  walls  of  partition, 
minimizes  apparent  differences,  magnifies  essential 
onenesses,  and  by  condescensions  translates  into  fra- 
ternal approaches  all  the  directorial  and  disciplinary 
contacts  of  life.  In  fine,  the  method  is  that  of  lubri- 
cation and  love. 

This  explains  the  central  place  of  Christ  in  religion 
— the  place  of  at-one-ment.  This  shows  why  the  Jew 
loses  so  much  out  of  his  religion  when  he  loses  Christ. 
He  may  acknowledge  two-thirds  of  God,  but  when  he 
rejects  the  remaining  third  he  loses  the  most  precious 
and  important  part  of  the  Godhead.  We  are  not  to 
blame  him  for  it.  We  are  not  to  keep  him  out  of  his 
Father's  house.  Rather  we  are  to  try  to  bring  him  in, 
even  if  on  his  own  terms.  Who  knows  but  he  may 
get  the  right  view  of  Jesus  by  our  rightly  representing 
the  spirit  incarnated  in  Jesus.  In  order  to  make  it 
possible  for  the  members  of  the  family  to  see  eye  to 
eye  the  Father  Himself  came  down  and  became  a  son. 
Is  not  that  a  natural  and  logical  thing  for  a  father  to 
do?  Do  not  earthly  fathers  deal  with  their  children 
after  this  fashion?  The  Father  emptied  Himself  of 
His  paternal  prerogatives  and  took  upon  Him  filial 
and  fraternal  attributes.  He  took  His  place  within 
the  family  circle,  He  lived  the  life  of  the  child,  giving 
the  entire  household  an  example  of  how  children  ought 
to  feel  and  act  toward  one  another ;  and  how  they  ought 
to  feel  and  act  toward  the  Father.  Thus  and  only 
thus  could  members  of  the  human  family  be  enabled 
to  see  eye  to  eye. 

In  view  of  all  this  I  am  led  to  believe  that  those 


One  God — One  Faith  205 

who  would  break  up  the  family  of  God  are  not  actu- 
ated by  the  Spirit  of  Jesus.  It  is  quite  all  right  for 
the  children  to  go  their  various  ways  and  establish 
domiciles  after  their  own  tastes.  But  it  is  all  wrong 
to  lay  claim  to  the  entire  patrimony.  The  first  test  I 
apply  to  any  religion  is  this :  What  is  its  motive  ? 
What  is  its  method  ?  Is  it  designed  to  bring  the  family 
together?  Then  it  is  a  true  religion.  Is  it  disruptive 
in  spirit  and  aim?  Then  it  needs  a  baptism  of  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

At  this  point  a  few  homely  illustrations  may  prove 
helpful.  I  have  said  the  place  of  Jesus  in  the  one 
religion  is  that  of  mediator;  He  is  the  means  whereby 
God  and  man,  man  and  man,  see  eye  to  eye.  Two 
volumes  by  the  same  author  stand  side  by  side  in  my 
library.  One  is  a  volume  of  Roosevelt's  state  papers; 
the  other  is  "Roosevelt's  Letters  to  His  Children." 
Which  Roosevelt  would  you  rather  know?  Which 
gives  you  the  most  satisfying  view  of  the  Great 
American  ?  For  my  own  part,  I  get  a  far  more  appreci- 
ative sense  of  Theodore  Roosevelt  from  the  letters 
punctuated  with  little  humanisms  and  illustrated  with 
grotesque  drawings  of  pussycats  and  dogs,  et  al.,  than 
I  do  from  the  state  papers.  By  emptying  himself  of 
the  glory  wherewith  men  honored  him  and  the  almost 
boundless  versatility  and  power  wherewith  God  had 
endowed  him,  Theodore  Roosevelt  got  nearer  to  the 
American  people  and  they  got  nearer  to  him  than 
would  ever  have  been  possible  otherwise. 

Two  other  companion  volumes  are  here  before  me. 
The  one  is  the  Old  Testament,  the  other  is  the  New 


206  The  Meaning  of  Life 

Testament.  The  Old  Testament  contains  God's  state 
papers.  The  New  Testament  reveals  God  among  His 
children,  in  the  playroom  if  you  please.  Little  folks 
and  big  folks,  poor  folks  and  rich  folks,  outcast  and 
outclassed — they  are  climbing  all  over  Him.  The  state 
papers  are  wonderful,  but  God's  letters  to  His  chil- 
dren— ^my,  how  they  warm  the  heart,  flood  the  soul 
and  lend  a  touch  of  inexpressible  reality  to  religion 
and  a  sense  of  kinship  to  all  human  kind. 

Here  is  a  manufacturer.  Dissension  has  broken  out 
in  his  factory.  What  will  he  do  ?  Call  down  the  labor 
union?  Call  out  the  police?  They  don't  all  do  that 
way.  The  new  way  is  God's  method.  It  is  becoming 
more  and  more  popular  every  day.  The  new  employer 
leaves  the  office  to  clerks  as  he  formerly  left  the  men 
to  bosses,  and  going  out  among  his  men  he  puts  on 
overalls.  He  takes  up  tools  he  has  not  used  for  years. 
He  tells  the  men  of  his  early  struggle,  of  how  he  got 
his  first  real  start,  of  how  at  last  he  won  out.  He 
becomes  confidential.  "Tom,  how  is  that  little  crippled 
girl  of  yours?  Come  around  and  see  me  after  the 
whistle  blows  and  we  will  see  what  can  be  done  for 
her."  He  addresses  the  men  at  the  noon  hour,  "Boys, 
if  you  have  any  grievances  don't  take  them  to  out- 
siders, bring  them  to  me.  My  private  office  door  is 
open  every  noon  and  evening.  Drop  in  and  let's  talk 
it  out.     Come  yourself — don't  send  another." 

The  papers  have  little  space  for  such  human,  every- 
day stories.  But  there  are  many  employers  doing  just 
such  things.  Aye,  and  there  are  corporations  and 
maligned  capitalists  who  are  endeavoring  to  solve  the 
acute  industrial  problems  of  the  day  by  the  teachings 


One  God — One  Faith  207 

of  Jesus.  They  are  trying  to  work  out  their  salvation 
by  the  method  of  the  one  reUgion — one  is  our  Father 
and  all  we  are  brethren.  This  is  the  brightest  hope  of 
our  day.  Our  trust  is  not  in  Washington;  it  is  right 
here  in  the  offices  of  these  big  corporations  where  men 
are  getting  a  new  vision,  seeing  a  new  light. 

Here  is  a  father  with  a  boy  at  college.  He  discerns 
from  letters  received  that  all  is  not  right.  Cancelling 
important  business  engagements  he  boards  the  train, 
and  unexpectedly  blows  in  on  his  son,  who  at  first  is 
startled,  but  at  last  is  glad  with  a  new  found  gladness 
as  father  and  son  get  on  the  inside  of  each  other's 
vest.  Together  they  watch  the  games,  make  the 
rounds  of  the  fellows'  rooms  as  Charlie  proudly  shows 
off  his  *'Dad."  From  that  time  on  everything  is  dif- 
ferent. The  son  is  forever  declaring,  "Dad  is  a  cork- 
ing fellow."  And  the  other  fellow  classmates  remark, 
*T  wish  I  had  a  Dad  like  yours." 

Religious  differences  are  due  very  largely  to  vary- 
ing degrees  in  our  knowledge  of  the  Fatherhood  of 
God.  In  some  religions  God  is  aloof — He  is  *'the 
Governor."  Although  couched  in  other  terms  the  idea 
is  just  that.  In  other  religions  God  is  so  much  special 
property.  Extreme  denominationalism  often  reminds 
me  of  amusing  controversies  of  childhood :  *'He  is  my 
Papa."  "He  is  not  your  Papa — ^he  is  mine."  The 
author  of  our  text  was  once  upon  a  time  this  kind  of 
a  religionist.  But  he  nobly  outgrew  it.  "When  I 
became  a  man  I  put  away  childish  things,"  said  he. 
The  question  is,  are  we  as  big  as  Paul,  as  big  as  our 
gospel.     Jesus  does  not  belong  to  the  church  alone. 


208  The  Meaning  of  Life 

He  belongs  to  sinner  as  well  as  to  saint,  to  Jew  as 
much  as  to  Gentile.  ^'Christ  for  the  world  we  sing." 
"Not  my  God  but  ours,  humanity's  one  bond."  Jesus 
Himself  said,  "Other  sheep  I  have  who  are  not  of  this 
fold."  The  final  test  of  religion  must  ever  be:  Have 
its  exponents  received  the  spirit  of  adoption  whereby 
they  are  able  to  cry,  "Abba — Papa,  Father."  If  they 
have  they  will  see  eye  to  eye  with  members  of  the 
family. 

The  other  day  I  opened  an  old  trunk  which  had 
long  been  in  storage.  Therein  I  found  the  large  cotton 
tent  in  which  brother  and  I  played  as  children.  It 
awakened  memories  that  filled  me  with  thrills.  I  saw 
again  the  big  grass  plot  back  of  our  house,  the  para- 
dise for  all  the  children  of  our  neighborhood.  And  a 
recollection  came  sailing  back  to  me  upon  a  river  of 
tears.  It  was  of  a  wondrous  night  when  my  father 
came  down  from  his  study,  out  of  his  comfortable 
bed-chamber  to  sleep  in  that  tent  with  us.  Long  after 
supper,  when  darkness  had  come  on  and  we  were  get- 
ting lonesome  and  a  wee  bit  disillusioned,  the  flaps 
were  parted  by  my  sainted  father  who  said,  "Boys, 
how  are  you  getting  along?"  We  said,  "Fine,"  with 
mental  reservations.  "Well,  how  would  you  like  me 
to  sleep  out  here  with  you?"  I  wish  you  could  have 
seen  our  tent  mates,  the  neighbor  boys.  They  did  not 
believe  such  a  father  existed ;  a  father  who  could  bring 
himself  to  such  condescension.  Those  boys  never  got 
done  talking  about  my  father.  Through  my  father 
they  gained  a  wholly  new  vision  of  fatherhood. 

According  to  my  Bible,  in  Jesus  God  tabernacled 


One  God— One  Faith  209 

with  man.  The  Father  camped  out  with  the  children. 
By  so  doing  He  did  not  cease  to  be  Father — He  be- 
came more  of  a  Father  than  ever,  and  by  the  same 
token  the  children  should,  be  more  to  each  other.  It 
would  be  passing  strange  indeed  if  the  condescension 
of  the  heavenly  Father  has  only  served  to  magnify 
the  differences  and  widen  the  gulf  between  members 
of  the  household  of  faith.  O  Father,  Father  of  all, 
may  we  apprehend  afresh  to-day  that  all  men  are  cher- 
ished in  Thy  bosom.  Together  may  we  worship  the 
one  God  as  Father;  may  we  be  actuated  by  the  one 
faith,  mutual  trust;  may  we  receive  the  one  baptism 
of  the  Father's  Spirit.     Amen  and  Amen* 


XIX 

WHAT  IS  DEMOCRACY? 

"God  has  made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of 
men"    Acts  17:  26. 

These  words  constitute  one  of  the  earliest  declara- 
tions of  the  principle  of  democracy.  The  sentiment 
was  uttered  in  Athens,  that  ancient  seat  of  learning, 
by  Paul,  the  ablest  exponent  of  Christianity.  The  es- 
sential unity  of  mankind  was  accepted  then  as  a 
fundamental  fact,  both  by  scholars  and  by  saints. 
It  is  so  accepted  to-day. 

Science  and  religion  therefore  see  eye  to  eye  on 
the  main  proposition,  and  they  may  cordially  cooperate 
in  their  mutually  avowed  purpose  to  bring  about  the 
full  realization  of  pure  democracy,  provided  they  do 
not  permit  their  attention  to  be  diverted  from  the 
fundamental  fact. 

And  just  here  lies  the  chief  danger  of  the  hour. 
We  have  become  embittered  and  embroiled  over  con- 
fused and  confusing  issues.  We  are  assigning  to  frac- 
tions the  full  value  of  the  integer.  We  are  getting  lost 
in  blind  alleys. 

Democracy!  How  loosely  the  term  Is  used  In  this 
period  of  social  unrest.  It  is  a  word  to  conjure  with. 
It  has  come  to  be  almost  anything  from  autocracy  to 
anarchy.  Indeed  It  Is  daily  becoming  harder  for  the 
average  man  to  determine  whether  democracy  is  free- 

210 


What  Is  Democracy?  211 

dom  or  frenzy.  Wherefore,  it  is  of  extreme  impor- 
tance that  we  enquire,  and  with  especial  earnestness. 
What  is  Democracy?  Going  back  to  original  sources 
we  find  that  the  answer  is  quite  simple.  Democracy 
is  not  many  things  but  one  thing.  And,  that  one  thing 
is  Oneness. 

Democracy  may  be  defined  in  a  single  word.  It  is 
solidarity.  Not  the  solidarity  of  identity  or  sameness, 
as  so  many  particles  of  sand  in  a  sandpile.  In  that 
case  democracy  would  be  an  aggregation.  Not  me- 
chanical solidarity  as  so  many  particles  of  earth  in  a 
wall  of  hard-baked  brick.  That  would  be  democracy 
of  the  mass.  But  the  solidarity  of  a  living  organism 
where  there  is  variety,  self-expression  and  yet  the  most 
vital  unity.  A  plant  is  a  good  illustration.  Every 
leaf,  every  branch,  every  flower  is  different — yet  the 
plant  is  one.  So  much  so  that  no  leaf,  no  twig,  no 
branch  may  sever  its  relations  with  the  organism  and 
no  flower  may  be  plucked  from  the  stem  without  death 
ensuing.  An  even  better  example  is  the  human  body, 
where  in  addition  to  the  death  penalty  for  disunion 
there  is  a  life  penalty.  *' Whether  one  member  suffer, 
all  members  suffer  with  it ;  or  one  member  be  honored, 
all  members  rejoice  with  it." 

Is  not  this  the  principle  embodied  in  all  the  sacred 
instruments  of  American  democracy?  The  Declar- 
ation of  Independence  was  the  enunciation  of  the 
principle  of  solidarity.  Had  that  principle  been 
cordially  accepted  by  the  Mother  Country  in  all  prob- 
ability America  would  not  have  severed  her  relations 
therewith.     Self-expression,   not   separation,   was   the 


212  The  Meaning  of  Life 

desire  of  the  forefathers.  This  fundamental  principle 
is  emblazoned  upon  our  escutcheon:  "E  Pluribus 
Unum/'  It  is  written  large  in  America's  jurispru- 
dence, "Equality  before  the  law."  It  flames  brightly 
from  the  torch  in  Liberty.  It  is  heard  more  clearly 
than  ever  before  in  the  frequent  and  fervent  demand 
for  Social  Justice. 

Solidarity  has  been  the  dominant  note  in  American- 
ism from  the  nation's  birth  down  to  the  recent  unprece- 
dentedly  united  effort  in  behalf  of  Democracy.  Some- 
where in  every  capital,  in  every  schoolhouse,  in  every 
church  might  well  be  displayed  the  words  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  called  forth  by  Greeley's  "prayer"  to  him  "in 
behalf  of  twenty  million"  who  desired  an  immediate 
edict  of  emancipation : 

"If  there  be  those  who  would  not  save  the  Union 
unless  they  could  at  the  same  time  save  slavery,  I  do 
not  agree  with  them.  If  there  be  those  who  would  not 
save  the  Union  unless  they  could  at  the  same  time 
destroy  slavery  I  do  not  agree  with  them.  My  para- 
mount object  is  to  save  the  Union.  What  I  do  about 
slavery  I  do  because  I  believe  it  helps  to  save  the 
Union."  Lincoln  clearly  understood  the  meaning  of 
Democracy.     Do  we? 

There  is  special  need  just  now  that  we  remind  our- 
selves of  this  cardinal  principle.  In  blindness  of  rage 
at  glaring  social  injustice  and  in  eagerness  of  heart  to 
right  the  wrong  we  may  mistake  tinsel  for  gold  and 
plunge  humanity  into  a  more  dire  plight.  At  the 
moment  it  looks  very  much  as  though  we  are  about  to 
fly  from  one  evil  into  the  arms  of  another.     It  is  a 


What  Is  Democracy^  213 

singular  phenomenon  which  we  behold.  At  a  time 
when  one  set  of  class  distinctions  has  completely  broken 
down  new  forces  are  at  work  creating  a  new  set  of 
class  distinctions,  equally,  if  not  more  hurtful  to  true 
Democracy.  Surely  a  new  autocracy  is  not  the  solu- 
tion to  our  social  problems.  Instead  of  healing  the 
disease  in  the  body  politic  are  we  not  introducing  new 
elements  of  discomfort  into  the  system? 

The  disease  is  not  on  the  surface,  it  is  organic. 
It  is  not  economic  eruption,  it  is  spiritual  disunion. 
Any  political  doctor  who  contents  himself  with  the 
application  of  patent  nostrums  that  promise  to  allay 
the  surface  irritation  is  a  quack.  If  merely  money  and 
material  comforts  are  curative  then  the  rich  should 
be  saints.  Unfortunately,  observation  does  not  en- 
courage one  to  believe  that  such  is  the  case.  What 
America  needs  most  of  all  is  the  remedy  prescribed 
by  Mr.  Lincoln  in  that  dark  hour  when  Democracy 
seemed  about  to  expire:  "Let  us  be  dedicated  anew  to 
the  proposition  that  all  men  are  created  free  and  equal. 
A  house  divided  against  itself  cannot  stand." 

Whatever  tends  to  disrupt  is  an  enemy  of  democracy 
and  must  be  eliminated.  Contrariwise,  whatever  tends 
to  create  good  feeling  among  the  members  of  the 
organism ;  whatever  promises  to  bring  hitherto  antag- 
onistic interests  into  harmony  should  be  encouraged. 
By  following  out  this  program  we  may  make  some 
mistakes — but  they  will  be  of  judgment,  not  of  heart. 
Anyway,  is  it  not  better  to  blunder  on  in  the  right 
direction  than  to  continue  living  at  this  "poor  dying 
rate?"     Has  it  not  been  characteristic  of  Democracy 


214  The  Meaning  of  Life 

that  it  somehow  ^'muddles  through?"  At  best  we  are 
groping  in  the  dark.  So  much  the  more  should  we  be 
alertly  aggressive  lest  in  our  blindness  a  bauble  be 
palmed  off  on  us  in  exchange  for  a  priceless  heritage. 
We  are  well  aware  that  within  the  darkness  beside  us 
is  friend  and  foe,  and  passwords  are  spoken  by  the 
one  as  well  as  by  the  other.  So  long  as  we  know  the 
real  article  when  we  see  it  there  is  a  fighting  chance 
to  recover  our  ideals  when  they  are  made  way  with. 

Is  the  League  of  Nations  or  the  International  Con- 
ference a  real  forward  step  ?  I  am  sure  I  do  not  know. 
Whether  it  is  or  no  must  be  left  to  statesmen  and  to 
time  to  determine.  Certainly  the  spirit  of  man  is  mov- 
ing out  in  the  right  direction  and  all  such  efforts  are 
deserving  of  sympathetic  openmindedness  upon  the 
part  of  those  who  believe  in  the  solidarity  of  the  race. 
But,  whatever  uncertainties  or  misgivings  of  the 
statesman's  gigantic  task,  the  task  of  the  Christian  is 
quite  clear. 

The  Bible  declares  man  equal.  The  Constitution 
of  the  United  States  proclaims  them  equal.  Neither 
assertion  makes  it  so;  and  common  sense  tells  us  it  is 
not  so.  To  make  it  so  in  deed  and  in  truth  is  the 
sacred  obligation  which  Almighty  God  has  placed  upon 
both  church  and  state.  Not  alone  from  the  high  motive 
of  self-respect,  but  from  the  lower  motive  of  self-pre- 
servation must  be  discharged  this  duty  For  unless  we 
level  up  society  others  will  level  down  society.  As  be- 
tween the  two,  the  former  process  is  democratic,  the 
latter  is  not.  Our  first  task  is  then  to  make  good  the 
claims  which  the  forefathers  have  put  into  words  long 
cherished  by  every  American. 


What  Is  Democracy?  215 

This  is  the  church's  day  of  opportunity.  Will  she 
measure  up  to  the  high  hopes  of  her  founders  ?  Chris- 
tianity was  born  for  such  an  hour  as  this.  It  was 
designed  to  be  a  vast  unifying  influence  among  the 
nations.  The  movement  started  well.  The  solidarity 
of  society  was  fearlessly  proclaimed  at  Jerusalem,  the 
seat  of  bigotry;  at  Athens,  the  seat  of  learning;  and  at 
Rome,  the  seat  of  the  mighty.  The  essential  oneness 
of  all  races  was  set  forth  in  convincing  argument  and 
in  impassioned  oratory.  "There  is  no  difference  be- 
tween Jew  and  Greek,  Barbarian  and  Scythian,  bond- 
man and  freeman."  Racial  distinctions,  ritualistic  dis- 
tinctions, social  distinctions,  all  were  erased  and  at 
Pentecost  a  high-water  mark  of  pure  democracy  was 
established.  Then  a  dark  tragedy  befell  the  church 
and  she  came  under  the  contaminating  influence  of 
the  very  systems  she  had  been  sent  to  supersede.  First 
she  became  Judaized,  then  Romanized,  then  Part- 
isanized,  and  finally  demoralized.  Christianity  was  to 
transform  the  nations  but  the  nations  transformed 
Christianity,  bitter  nationalism  reproducing  itself  in 
denominationalism. 

The  hour  has  struck  for  the  prompt  recovery  of 
Christianity's  lost  unity,  without  which  she  cannot 
serve  our  day  and  generation.  Most  of  the  divisive  in- 
fluences now  seeking  to  break  up  democracy  realize  full 
well  the  importance  of  Christianity  to  political  soli- 
darity. Therefore,  the  bitter  hatred  of  the  church. 
Do  Christians  realize  as  fully  how  much  depends  upon 
the  church?  A  divided  church  is  incapable  of  min- 
istering to  a  divided  world.     From  which  it  will  be 


216  The  Meaning  of  Life 

seen  that  something  more  than  sentimental  reasons 
prove  conclusive  the  necessity  for  the  union  of  Chris- 
tendom. Manifestly  a  religion  that  estranges  men  who 
believe  essentially  alike  can  only  work  disintegration 
in  spiritual  solidarity  which  is  the  very  soul  of  de- 
mocracy. Partisan  piety  means  partisan  politics.  A 
united  church  means  a  united  world. 

The  church  must  "show"  the  world  before  she  can 
save  the  world.  The  prayer  of  our  Lord  proves  this 
conclusively :  "Father,  I  pray  that  they  may  be  one — 
that  the  world  may  believe  that  Thou  hast  sent  Me." 
The  world  will  gladly  welcome  a  demonstration. 
While  the  blood  is  up  and  while  iron  is  in  the  blood 
let  us  undertake  our  great  world  task  as  a  united  body ; 
all  actuated  by  one  living  Spirit,  safeguarded  by  one 
instinctive  attitude  of  mind,  and  bound  together  by 
one  common  idea,  one  common  principle  and  one 
common  purpose.  For  such  religious  leadership  the 
world  is  eagerly  waiting. 

Nature  furnishes  a  parable  which  may  help  us  to 
comprehend  the  turmoil  of  these  days  and  the  exact 
task  of  church  and  state. 

There  is  a  particularly  dangerous  body  of  water  to 
the  north  of  us,  between  the  Coast  of  Maine  and  Nova 
Scotia  (New  Brunswick),  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  Twice 
in  every  twenty-four  hours  a  mighty  tidal  wave  rolls 
in  from  the  Atlantic  sweeping  to  destruction  every- 
thing in  its  path.  Even  under  normal  conditions  this 
inflow  from  the  ocean  reaches  a  height  of  from  twenty- 
five  to  thirty  feet,  and  in  the  Spring  it  frequently  at- 


What  Is  Democracy?  217 

tains  a  height  of  from  sixty  to  seventy  feet.  The 
sight  of  this  huge  oncoming  wave  is  terrifying  and 
never  to  be  forgotten.  Its  foaming  crest  may  be  seen 
far  out  to  sea.  The  mountain  of  water  becomes  more 
ominous  as  it  advances  and  gathers  momentum.  The 
air  is  filled  with  mist  and  fog.  Wild  birds  fly  about 
screaming  in  the  wake  of  the  death  dealing  waters, 
looking  for  prey.  Woe  to  the  fisherman  who  has 
lingered  too  long  over  his  net.  Woe  to  the  skipper 
who,  unacquainted  with  the  wild  behavior  of  these 
tides,  has  delayed  to  find  safety. 

Who  is  to  account  for  this  apparent  freak  of  nature? 
The  explanation  is  simple.  The  peculiar  conformation 
of  the  seacoast  at  this  point  is  the  cause.  The  Bay  of 
Fundy  has  a  funnel-shaped  and  rapidly  narrowing 
entrance  making  it  difficult  for  the  daily  tides  of  the 
ocean,  usually  only  four  to  six  feet,  to  enter.  So  the 
water  backs  up  and  piles  higher  and  higher  as  the 
channel  becomes  narrower  and  shallower.  And  old 
ocean's  task  is  made  even  more  difficult  by  the  divisions 
and  sub-divisions  of  the  Bay. 

Now  Democracy's  terrifying  and  destructive  aspects 
are  due  to  much  the  same  cause.  As  the  moon  at 
regular  intervals  reaches  down  and  lifts  the  waters  of 
the  sea  at  high  tide,  so  at  regular  intervals  God  reaches 
down  and  lifts  the  hearts  of  men  to  high  tide  of  Dem- 
ocratic fervor.  Wherever  the  inlet  has  been  nar- 
rowed or  made  shallow;  wherever  the  channel  for  the 
incoming  flood  has  been  divided  and  subdivided,  there 
democracy  assumes  alarming,  even  terrifying  propor- 
tions.    There  also  mist  and  fog  gathers  and  the  wild 


218  The  Meaning  of  Life 

birds  of  prey  fly  screaming  about,  gloating  over  the 
death  and  destruction  strewn  in  the  wake  of  abnormal 
conditions. 

Liberate  the  mind  from  all  slavery  to  past  prejudices 
and  let  it  roam  about  the  world  and  what  do  we  find  ? 
This;  that  wherever  inlets  have  been  narrowed  or 
divided  by  tyranny  or  bigotry,  selfishness  or  greed, 
there  has  the  rising  tide  of  democracy  assumed  terrify- 
ing proportions.  For  this  situation  there  is  but  one 
remedy.     The  tide  cannot  be  changed ;  but  the  inlet  can. 

Unity  has  become  a  world  note.  Above  the  babel 
of  counsels  and  the  jargon  of  demands  and  incrimi- 
nations this  dominant  note  is  heard,  and  it  must  be 
sustained  loud  and  clear  and  long.  Let  us  not  permit 
our  faith  in  this  fundamental  principle  of  democracy 
to  be  shaken.  Solidarity  is  salvation  and  salvation  is 
Christ  in  us,  the  hope  of  Kingdom  Come. 


XX 


RECONCILING  CHRIST'S  KINGDOM  IDEA 
WITH  DEMOCRATIC  IDEALS 

'^My  Kingdom  is  not  of  this  world f^    John 

18:3-6. 

Terms  of  royalty  are  in  growing  disfavor.  The 
world  seems  done  with  kings  and  emperors  and  crowns 
and  all  costly  regalia.  It  is  proposed  that  we  revise 
Christian  nomenclature.  Proponents  contend  that  the 
Kingdom  idea  is  archaic,  it  is  passe,  it  is  something 
that  does  not  belong  to  the  new  era.  A  more  modern 
terminology  is  suggested :  "A  Republic  of  God,  a  Com- 
monwealth of  God,  a  Democracy  of  God."  These 
suggestions  open  up  an  interesting  question  which  I 
desire  to  discuss.  How  are  we  to  harmonize  Christ's 
Kingdom  Idea  with  democratic  ideals? 

We  shall  not  harmonize  them  at  all  unless  we  first 
clearly  understand  what  is  meant  by  the  "Kingdom  of 
God."  Our  difficulties  arise  largely  out  of  the  fact 
that  we  conceive  of  the  Kingdom  as  a  political  order. 
This  mistake  is  very  ancient.  It  was  the  mistake  of 
the  early  Jews.  As  it  was  generally  understood  that 
the  Messiah's  mission  was  the  restoration  of  the  po- 
litical glory  of  Israel,  the  hastily  organized  pageant  of 
Palm  Sunday  was  only  the  embodiment  of  current 
opinion.     The  temple  children  had  long  been  rehearsed 

219 


220  The  Meaning  of  Life 

for  the  marching  chant  "Hosanna  to  the  Son  of 
David,"  and  the  populace  for  the  antiphonal  chorus, 
"Blessed  be  the  Kingdom  of  our  Father  David,  that 
cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord."  Christ  forgave  the 
stupidity  of  the  Jews,  so  we  will  not  lay  it  up  against 
them.  They  were  the  victims  of  circumstances 
from  which  believers  should  have  shaken  themselves 
loose  by  this  time.     Unfortunately  they  have  not. 

Have  we  forgotten  how  consistently  Jesus  held  Him- 
self aloof  from  all  political  complications?  Jesus  re- 
fused to  lead  a  revolution.  He  lent  his  name  to  no 
movement  of  nonco-operation  designed  to  embarrass 
the  powers  that  be.  He  declined  to  become  involved 
in  much  mooted  tax  questions.  "Show  me  your  penny 
and  I'll  show  you  your  duty,"  said  He.  And  if  there 
be  left  in  any  mind  the  shadow  of  a  doubt  as  to  the 
political  aloofness  of  Jesus  it  should  be  banished  for- 
ever by  the  final  colloquy  with  Pilate,  "Art  thou  then 
a  King?"  "Thou  sayest  it.  To  this  end  was  I  born 
and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world.  But — my 
Kingdom  is  not  of  this  world  else  would  my  followers 
fight." 

No,  the  Kingdom  teaching  of  Jesus  moves  along  a 
very  much  higher  plane  than  that  of  a  political  order. 
The  Kingdom  of  God  is  not  political,  it  is  organic. 
It  is  not  civil,  it  is  vital.  It  is  passing  strange,  when 
you  come  to  think  of  it,  that  we  ever  got  into  this  po- 
litical blind  alley.  Politics  is  the  least  of  all  of  the 
kingdoms  whereunto  one  may  liken  Christ's  Kingdom 
ideal.  Political  kingdoms  are  here  to-day  and  to-mor- 
row they  are  gone.     Change  and  decay  are  nowhere 


Christ's  Kingdom  Idea  221 

more  in  evidence.  Standardization  has  not  yet  been 
attained.  No  sooner  is  a  new  political  order  set  up 
than  its  throne  is  rocked  and  wrecked  by  new  earth- 
quakes. God's  unshaken  kingdom  is  not  to  be  con- 
fused with  shaken  kingdoms. 

Is  there  no  other  kingdom  more  abiding,  whereunto 
we  may  liken  the  Kingdom  of  God?  Surely.  There 
are  several.  There  is  the  mineral  kingdom,  the  vege- 
table kingdom,  the  animal  kingdom.  Any  one  of  these 
would  prove  a  more  filling  analogy.  Have  you  not 
noticed  that  Jesus  is  particularly  partial  to  analogies 
drawn  from  nature?  He  resorts  to  political  terms 
only  when  He  must  to  get  His  idea  "across"  to  some 
politician  who  knows  no  other  language.  Political 
terms  are  used  as  *'death"  was  used,  as  a  last  resort. 
The  King's  kingdom  analogies  are  vital,  vibrant, 
organic.  They  are  not  generalizations ;  they  are  speci- 
fications. The  beginning  of  the  Kingdom  is  like  the 
sower.  The  development  of  the  Kingdom  is  like  the 
mustard  seed,  the  smallest  of  all  seeds,  but  proportion- 
ately the  greatest  in  its  final  development.  The 
progress  of  the  Kingdom  is  like  the  farmer  who  sows 
good  seed,  although  he  knows  his  enemy  will  sow  tares. 
Such,  brother  idealist,  brother  reformer,  brother  the- 
ologian, is  the  Kingdom  teaching  of  your  Master  and 
mine. 

Not  only  is  an  organism  implied  in  the  Kingdom 
teaching  of  Jesus  but  it  is  a  particular  type  of  organ- 
ism. The  Kingdom  is  to  be  a  family — a  family  of 
God.  When  the  disciples  approached  the  Master  with 
the  request,  "Lord,  teach  us  to  pray.     We  know  not 


222  The  Meaning  of  Life 

what  we  should  pray  for  as  we  ought/'  the  first  lesson 
leaves  no  doubt  as  to  what  was  uppermost  in  the 
Saviour's  mind.  ''When  ye  pray,  pray  thus:  Our 
Father,  who  art  in  heaven.  Thy  Kingdom  come." 
It  was  not  a  king's  Kingdom  for  which  they  were  to 
pray,  it  was  a  father's  kingdom-family. 

The  ''Children  of  the  Kingdom"  have  had  their  eyes 
upon  a  goal  farthest  removed  from  the  Master's  mind. 
They  have  been  puttering  around  with  block  thrones, 
toy  soldiers,  and  card  castles.  Theirs  has  been  a  little 
tin  kingdom  on  wheels — something  to  be  pulled  around 
the  playroom  during  life's  short  day  and  then  to  be 
put  away  when  the  night  of  death  comes  on.  They 
have  lost  the  essence  of  New  Testament  teaching. 
The  philosophy  of  Christianity  is  natural  and  yet 
divinely  supernatural,  practical  yet  delightfully  poetical, 
material  yet  inscrutably  mystical.  As  finally  realized, 
the  Kingdom  of  God  is  to  be  an  organism  of  kindred 
spirits,  deeply  rooted  in  the  heavenly  Father's  lov- 
ing heart.  Nothing  short  of  this  is  Scriptural, 
nothing  less  than  this  will  ever  satisfy  human  long- 
ings. 

The  finest  definition  of  the  Kingdom  idea  thus  far 
attempted  puts  all  the  essentials  into  a  nutshell  thus: 
"The  Kingdom  of  God  is  a  loving,  intelligent  family, 
organized  about  the  father's  good-will,  living  in  the 
universe  as  His  home,  using  the  forces  of  nature  as 
instruments  of  His  will,  and  making  all  things  vocal 
with  His  wisdom,  love  and  power."  Dr.  Richard  La- 
Rue  Swain  has  made  a  real  contribution  to  clear  think- 
ing in  this  definition,  so  truly  inclusive,  and  exclu- 
sive. 


Christ's  Kingdom  Idea         223 

"Well,"  I  am  asked,  "if  what  you  say  is  true,  is  not 
government  eliminated  altogether  from  the  Kingdom 
program?"  Not  necessarily.  For  government  is 
primarily  an  offshoot  of  the  family.  It  is  a  branch 
plucked  directly  from  the  family  tree.  Although,  un- 
fortunately government  has  become  a  prodigal  son. 
It  has  forsaken  the  Father  and  is  wasting  its  substance 
in  riotous  living.  Patriotism  is  what?  It  is  father- 
hood; this  is  the  true  derivation  of  the  word.  Quite 
apart  from  any  spirit  of  usurpation,  this  organic  idea 
of  the  Kingdom  restores  patriotism  to  its  rightful  place 
in  the  family  line.  It  is  an  effort  to  make  it  run  true  to 
type.  True  fatherhood  is  secured  in  proportion  as  the 
state  is  loyal  to  the  Father;  it  is  jeopardized  when  it 
cuts  loose  from  the  family  tree. 

Another  asks:  "How  does  democracy  come  in?"  I 
reply,  very  naturally.  Given  the  family,  you  imply 
the  home.  Democracy  is  the  pohtical  counterpart  of 
the  home.  In  a  well  ordered  home  you  have  the 
purest  democracy  imaginable.  Without  codified  laws. 
Without  courts  of  justice.  Without  any  of  the  para- 
phernalia of  government,  every  attribute  and  benefit 
thereof  is  preserved — liberty,  fraternity,  equality,  dis- 
cipline, order,  authority.  The  rights  of  the  individual 
are  secure,  and  the  interests  of  the  group  are  served. 
Notwithstanding  the  widest  dissimilarity,  there  is  the 
utmost  concord  obtainable  this  side  of  Paradise.  The 
tendency  to  fly  apart  is  ever  present,  but  the  organism 
holds  together — ^bound  by  a  common  affection.  Centri- 
fugal love  restrains  centripetal  self-determination. 
The  teaching  of  Jesus  is  the  teaching  of  purest  de- 
mocracy.    The  Father's  love  is  regnant,  the  children's 


224  The  Meaning  of  Life 

rights  are  secure.     A  more  comprehensive  scheme  of 
things  is  inconceivable. 

Yes,  I  know  what  some  of  you  are  thinking.  "Isn*t 
it  too  bad  that  the  pastor  has  entirely  lost  his  bearings  ? 
Does  he  not  realize  that  such  philosophizings  subvert 
the  cherished  promise  of  the  second  coming  of  Christ? 
If  the  Kingdom  is  not  political,  what  practical  neces- 
sity is  there  for  a  second  coming  of  Christ?  How  can 
there  be  a  King  without  a  Kingdom,  or  a  physical  re- 
turn without  a  political  throne?  Manifestly  the  min- 
ister is  flying  in  the  face  of  all  Bible  teaching  con- 
cerning a  providential  political  order."  Reserve  your 
judgment.  The  case  is  not  all  in.  Will  it  surprise 
and  mystify  you  if  I  add  that  organic  organization  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God  is  the  only  thing  that  will  ever 
make  possible  the  second  coming  ?  And  I  might  further 
add  it  is  the  one  thing  needed  to  make  the  second  com- 
ing intelligible  to  the  great  mass  of  mankind;  some- 
thing for  which  they  may  well  pray. 

"Explain  yourself."     I  shall  endeavor  to  do  so. 

Let  me  ask,  what  was  it  that  Christ  did  at  His  first 
coming?  Did  He  set  up  a  Kingdom?  Did  He  labor 
for  the  repeal  of  oppressive  tax  legislation?  Did  He. 
plunge  into  the  industrial  maelstrom  and  involve  Him- 
self in  the  cross-currents  of  capitalistic  and  labor  petti- 
ness? Not  He.  The  object  of  the  first  coming  was 
two- fold;  first,  to  reveal  the  fatherhood  of  God;  sec- 
ond, to  realize  the  sonship  of  man.  In  other  words,  to 
impart  the  Paternal  Spirit  and  enkindle  a  fraternal 
spirit.  His  earliest  official  utterance  was,  *T  must 
be  about  my   Father's  business."    His  last,  alluding  to 


Christ's  Kingdom  Idea  225 

all  mankind,  '^Behold  my  mother  and  my  sister  and  my 
brother."  From  which  I  conclude  that  when  Christ 
comes  the  second  time  it  will  be  to  put  the  finishing 
touch  of  living  bloom  and  eternal  fragrance  upon  the 
original  plant.  If  you  will  turn  to  the  fifteenth  chapter 
of  First  Corinthians  you  will  find  this  statement  of  the 
case  fully  justified.  He  is  coming  to  participate  in 
elaborate  presentation  ceremonies.  "Then  cometh  the 
end  when  He  shall  have  delivered  up  the  Kingdom  to 
God,  even  the  Father;  when  He  shall  have  put  down 
all  rule  and  all  authority  and  power."  The  picture 
here  is  of  a  kingdom  wrought  out  by  God's  children, 
and  presented  by  the  ''Well  Beloved  Son"  to  the  Father 
as  the  consummation  of  the  Father's  good-will. 

We  are  all  more  or  less  interested  in  the  reforms  of 
the  day,  as  we  should  be.  We  have  not  the  heart  of 
the  Father  unless  we  are  thus  interested.  But  we  are 
not  to  confine  that  interest  to  externals  alone.  Let 
there  be  reformation  by  all  means,  but  let  it  be  sup- 
ported by  a  growing  company  of  regenerated  indi- 
viduals. There  must  be  something  more  than  prohibi- 
tion if  the  sons  and  daughters  are  to  be  brought  under 
control.  There  is  no  royal  road  to  Kingdom  Come. 
To  promote  the  Kingdom  simply  by  capturing  now 
this  and  now  that  political  party  is  to  court  failure. 
Jesus  never  resorted  to  such  means  except  indirectly. 
His  supreme  concern  was  to  capture  the  heart  of  man 
and  bring  it  into  filial  relations  with  the  Father's  heart. 
Worldly  simulations  of  the  Kingdom  will  never  satisfy 
God — nor  man,  for  that  matter. 

The  wretchedness  of  the  world  is  not  due  to  bad 


226  The  Meaning  of  Life 

conditions  so  much  as  to  bad  children.  God  has 
provided  His  children  with  all  the  material  necessary 
for  the  building  of  a  heaven  but  they  have  built  a  hell. 
Believers  have  long  had  the  necessary  money,  the  po- 
litical influence  and  the  social  standing  for  the  under- 
taking. All  they  have  thus  far  lacked  is  the  vision  and 
the  venture.  Has  this  lack  been  suppUed?  *'Recon- 
struction"  now  on  every  tongue,  should  mean  that  upon 
the  ruins  of  the  finest  hell  ever  conceived  God's  chil- 
dren propose  to  build  the  finest  heaven.  But  does  it? 
Objection  is  raised  that  the  proposed  method  is  too 
slow.  But,  did  God  ever  do  anything  except  by  slow 
methods?  Ask  the  geologist  or  the  biologist.  If  it 
takes  aeons  to  build  a  physical  universe,  does  any  one 
imagine  that  the  finest  thing  in  the  spiritual  universe 
can  be  produced  overnight  ?  What  is  time  in  a  timeless 
kingdom  ?  Here  is  the  point ;  when  God  gets  done  the 
work  will  not  be  undone.  His  methods  may  be  slow 
but  they  are  sure,  which  is  more  than  may  be  said  of 
man's  methods. 

A  member  of  my  household  laid  down  a  new  work 
on  archaeology  the  other  evening  with  the  remark,  "I 
don't  see  that  the  world  is  much  improved,  for  all  the 
thousands  of  years  of  effort  since  the  Pharaohs  scrib- 
bled upon  their  monuments.  The  ancients  were  af- 
flicted with  capitalistic  combinations,  political  graft 
and  trade  unionism."  To  which  I  replied,  "Quite  true ; 
but  bear  in  mind  you  are  reading  history  as  written 
upon  clay ;  there  is  another  history  and  more  authentic, 
written  upon  the  enduring  tablets  of  throbbing  human 
hearts.     Read  these  and  optimism  will  revive."     The 


Christ's  Kingdom  Idea         227 

world  is  growing  better  every  day,  because  deep  down 
beneath  all  superficial  evidence  to  the  contrary,  the 
Father's  love  is  mellowing  and  molding  us  one  and  all. 
To  be  satisfied  upon  this  point  one  need  only  con- 
trast man's  attitude  toward  war,  for  example,  when 
the  Pharaohs  scribbled  their  history,  with  the  prevail- 
ing attitude  when  Wells  wrote  his  history.  The  two 
are  in  striking  antithesis.  Mars  was  adored.  Mars  is 
anathema.  Other  inhabitants  of  Olympus  have 
shared  a  like  fate.  The  heart  of  the  Kingdom  of  God 
has  been  steadily  developing  during  the  centuries,  a 
royal  family  is  slowly  emerging  from  the  jungles  of 
Barbarism.  We  can  pass  through  time  in  one  direc- 
tion only,  from  past  to  future.  (Although  this  now  is 
questioned  by  apostles  of  relativity).  The  order  is 
irreversible.  Whoever  attempts  to  reverse  the  natural 
order  bucks  a  current  that  will  wind  and  weary  him 
eventually. 

An  almost  incredible  story  has  leaked  out  of  the 
Rockefeller  Institute.  It  is  more  wonderful  than  any 
fairy  tale.  It  appears  that  back  in  191 2  the  heart  of 
a  chick  was  removed  from  the  embryo  and  placed  in  a 
jar  containing  a  friendly  liquid.  At  regular  inter- 
vals the  organ  was  nourished  artificially.  After  three 
years  it  was  found  that  this  tiny  bit  of  life  had  multi- 
plied tissues  and  its  body  building  powers  had  increased 
instead  of  diminished.  The  heart  was  functioning  and 
growing  in  spite  of  the  handicap  of  having  no  wings 
and  legs  and  bill  and  feathers.  The  war  took  Dr. 
Carrel,  the  famous  surgeon  who  inaugurated  the  ex- 
periment, to  France.     Before  his  departure  he  put  the 


228  The  Meaning  of  Life 

heart  in  a  larger  receptable  and  charged  the  laboratory 
staff  to  see  that  it  was  regularly  fed.  In  every  letter 
to  his  old  associates  he  enquired,  "How  is  my  little 
chicken  heart  getting  on?'*  Always  the  answer  was 
the  same,  "Still  alive,  still  beating,  still  adding  tissue, 
still  growing."  Then  came  the  armistice.  The  great 
surgeon  returned  and  hastening  to  the  laboratory  he 
opened  his  pet  jar  and  there  was  the  embryo  heart 
beating  away,  and  adding  tissue.  For  eight  long  years 
this  homeless  heart  had  lived  and  moved  and  had  its 
being.     "Wonderful !"  you  say.     So  say  I. 

I  would  tell  you  something  even  more  wonderful. 
There  is  an  embryo  heart  in  another  laboratory  called 
the  church.  It  is  a  homeless  heart  as  yet.  However, 
it  is  a  growing  heart.  It  is  adding  tissue  century  by 
century,  year  by  year.  It  began  to  beat  back  yonder 
in  Bethlehem.  It  was  feared  from  the  first  because 
men  saw  that  it  was  a  likely  heart.  Repeated  efforts 
were  made  to  stop  its  beating.  But  God  has  contrived 
to  keep  it  alive,  though  often  hidden  away,  in  mon- 
astery, in  sacred  book  and  sanctified  individuals.  Here 
it  beats,  beats,  beats  its  rhythm  of  salvation  and  service, 
of  prophecy  and  fulfillment.  Century  after  century 
this  heart  has  added  tissue.  By  the  end  of  the  first 
century  it  had  clothed  itself  with  five  hundred  thou- 
sand Kingdom  children,  by  the  tenth  century  with  fifty 
million  children. 

When  the  shadow  of  the  Dark  Ages  settled  down 
men  sighed  amidst  the  gloaming,  "The  pulse  is  stopped 
and  the  heart  is  dead."  But,  when  the  shadows  lifted 
and  a  census  was  taken  at  the  end  of  the  fifteenth 


Christ's  Kingdom  Idea  229 

century  the  heart  was  found  to  be  clothed  with  one 
hundred  million  Kingdom  children. 

Then  came  the  blight  of  infidelity  during  "The  Age 
of  Reason."  Surely  no  heart  could  survive  such  chill- 
ing blast.  But  this  heart  did,  for  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury saw  it  clothed  with  two  hundred  million  Kingdom 
children. 

Materialism  now  took  up  its  far-flung  march 
through  France  and  England  and  America.  Bedecked 
in  the  panoply  and  accouterments  of  the  most  glorified 
superman  it  swept  on  conquering  and  to  conquer. 
Idealism  succumbed,  conscience  surrendered,  the  cita- 
dels of  conservatism  were  stormed  and  taken.  Vision 
and  emotion  took  to  the  high  timber.  And — the 
Kingdom  heart  survived,  for  at  the  close  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  there  were  five  hundred  million  children 
of  the  royal  house  of  Jesus. 

And  now  Dr.  Carroll,  the  government  statistician, 
comes  forward  with  the  cheering  information  that  not- 
withstanding the  earthquake  shock  of  a  world  war, 
every  denomination  in  the  United  States  of  America 
has  more  than  redeemed  the  losses  its  membership 
sustained  as  the  result  of  that  colossal  slaughter  and 
the  attendant  lapses  in  religious  responsibility. 

The  Kingdom  heart  is  living,  throbbing,  growing. 
Have  no  doubt  as  to  that.  Let  us  confidently  and 
eagerly  await  the  time  when  this  heart  shall  be  at  home 
in  the  White  House,  the  Court  of  St.  James,  the 
university,  the  industrial  order  and  a  thousand  and 
one  other  forms  of  political  organizations  and  personal 


230  The  Meaning  of  Life 

endeavor.  Let  us  pray  more  earnestly  than  ever, 
and  in  full  faith,  *'Our  Father,  who  art  in  heaven,  .  .  . 
Thy  Kingdom  come.  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it 
is  in  heaven." 

"Oh,  where  are  Kings  and  Empires  noV/ 
Of  old  that  went  and  came? 
But,  Lord,  thy  church  is  praying  yet, 
A  thousand  years  the  same." 

"My  Kingdom  is  not  of  this  world,  for  if  it  were 
of  this  world  then  would  my  children  fight." 


XXI 

WHAT  IS  DEATH? 

"That  which  thou  sowest  is  not  made  alive 
except  it  die."     I  Corinthians  15:36. 

Man  is  not  born  to  die.  This  is  the  central  tenet  of 
the  rehgion  of  Jesus.  And  this  is  the  thought  of  the 
text.  The  author  takes  issue  with  the  dreary  idea  that 
the  chief  function  of  Christianity  is  to  prepare  folks 
for  death.  That  is  exactly  what  it  is  not.  The  Book 
which  lies  open  before  me  has  but  one  theme — life. 
This  is  its  supreme  message  from  cover,  to  cover. 
Death  is  introduced  only  as  a  means  to  an  end.  The 
teaching  in  this  text  and  elsewhere  is  that  death  is  a 
process  whereby  God  brings  life  and  immortality  to 
light.  And,  I  may  add,  that  for  this  reason  Jesus 
rarely  alluded  to  death.  When  He  did  so  it  was  in 
guarded  fashion  and  in  a  way  to  imply  the  antithesis 
of  annihilation;  in  fact,  as  is  well  known.  He  substi- 
tuted the  word  "sleep"  to  enable  the  dull  of  compre- 
hension to  grasp  the  true  significance  of  the  last  observ- 
able change  of  earthly  being. 

My  purpose  at  this  time  is  to  ask  and,  if  possible, 
to  answer  the  categorical  question; — ^What  is  Death? 
I  shall  endeavor  to  avoid  all  theories,  keeping  as  far 
away  from  speculations  as  possible.  I  shall  indulge 
in  no  guesses.  In  short,  I  shall  strive  to  keep  my  feet 
upon  solid  facts. 

231 


232  The  Meaning  of  Life 

There  are  certain  things  that  we  know  about  death 
beyond  any  controversy.  For  one  thing,  we  know  that 
death  is  a  liberator  of  life.  "That  which  thou  sowest 
is  not  made  alive  except  it  die."  When  Hfe  is  first 
bestowed  it  is  a  prisoner.  In  nature  we  see  this  every- 
where and  within  ourselves  we  are  continually  re- 
minded of  the  fact.  There  are  times  when  our  chains 
are  positively  galling.  How  are  these  fetters  broken? 
How  is  the  prisoner  liberated?  Read  the  history  of 
nations,  read  biography.  Study  the  natural  sciences. 
Everywhere  the  answer  is  the  same — by  dying.  "If 
a  man  lose  his  life  he  shall  find  it."  Strange  as  it 
sounds  it  is  nevertheless  the  truth. 

Some  years  ago  I  stood  in  the  Cairo  Museum, 
Egypt,  studying  the  shriveled  visage  of  the  Pharaoh 
of  the  exodus.  Not  far  from  this  particular  mummy 
was  a  sarcophagus  dating  back  some  five  thousand 
years.  A  small  pot  containing  seed  stood  beside  the 
sarcophagus;  seed  placed  there  by  whoever  originally 
closed  the  stone  cofifin.  I  wondered  if  those  seeds 
could  possibly  contain  life.  Then  there  came  to  mind 
the  recollection  of  a  certain  archaeologist  who,  having 
opened  a  similar  tomb  and  finding  therein  similar 
seeds,  took  a  handful  back  to  Scotland  and  planted 
them.  And,  so  it  is  related,  they  grew!  For  five 
thousand  years  life  had  remained  a  captive  but  through 
a  grave  in  a  garden  of  Scotland  each  seed  found  lib- 
eration. So  you  see  we  know  this  much  about  death; 
it  is  the  liberator  of  Hfe. 

Again,  we  know  that  death  is  the  revealer  of  life. 
It  makes  known  the  nature  of  life.     Here  it  is   in 


What  Is  Death?  233 

Scripture,  "That  which  thou  sowest  thou  knowest  not 
what  it  shall  be,  it  may  chance  of  this  grain  or  of 
another." 

How  true  that  is.  Not  the  wisest  man  would  be 
able  to  guess  what  is  locked  up  in  an  acorn,  if  he 
had  never  observed  an  acorn  grow.  Neither  could 
any  one  guess  what  is  locked  up  in  a  grain  of  corn,  if 
a  full  ear  had  never  before  been  seen.  Death  is  indeed 
the  revealer  of  life.  Until  death  comes  each  seed 
abideth  alone  and  unknown,  unknown  as  to  nature 
and  quality  of  the  life,  unknown  as  to  the  measure  of 
its  life.  A  complete  mystery  it  all  is  until  death  re- 
veals life. 

Think  of  the  thousand  and  one  seeds  which  look 
alike.  I  have  a  good  friend  in  Congress  who  sends 
me  each  year  a  generous  supply  of  government  seeds. 
A  recent  consignment  reached  my  New  England  farm 
in  a  decidedly  mixed  condition.  Something  had  gone 
wrong  in  the  parcels  post,  and  the  packages  were 
broken.  It  was  next  to  impossible  to  tell  one  seed 
from  another.  Said  I  to  my  farmer,  *'Henry,  do  you 
know  anything  about  seeds?  If  so,  see  what  you  can 
do  with  this  puzzle."  He  proceeded  to  sort  the  seeds 
"This  is  corn.  These  are  beans.  These  are  peas." 
So  far  it  was  easy  enough,  for  he  was  dealing  with 
things  he  had  raised.  But  when  it  came  to  the  flower 
seeds  he  had  to  give  it  up  with  the  remark,  "Guess 
you'll  never  know  what  them  is  till  you  plant  'em." 
And  he  was  right,  as  my  wife  can  testify,  for  we  got 
a  lot  of  the  seeds  in  wrong  flower  beds  and  had  to 
transplant  many. 

In  this  respect  folks  are  just  like  flower  seeds,  their 


234  The  Meaning  of  Life 

full  beauty  and  value  is  little  known  until  they  die. 
That  is  the  sad  part  about  it.  We  don't  know  one 
another.  We  don't  even  know  ourselves.  We  come 
to  earth  all  packed  up  and  we  never  fully  unpack — 
at  least  not  in  this  life.  That  is  the  reason  in 
nine  cases  out  of  ten  that  we  so  easily  form  wrong 
opinions.  ''Who  knoweth  what  is  in  man?"  One  of 
the  greatest  of  prophets  catalogued  seven  thousand 
fellow  countrymen  and  missed  it  on  every  one.  It  is 
well  said  that  a  man  must  be  dead  fifty  years  before 
he  is  appreciated.  At  least  it  looks  that  way.  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  was  criticized,  caricatured  and  maligned 
throughout  life.  Then  death  came.  Immediately  the 
real  Lincoln  began  to  unfold  to  the  wonder  and  admi- 
ration of  a  nation  and  of  the  world.  And  more  recent 
presidents  have  fared  no  better.  If  such  is  the  case 
on  this  side  of  Jordan  what  surprises  must  await  us 
on  the  other  side.  Yes,  death  is  the  great  revealer  of 
Hfe.    "It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be.'* 

Furthermore  and  more  obviously,  death  is  the 
expander  of  life.  I  need  not  elaborate  this  statement. 
The  harvest  is  always  larger  than  the  sowing.  "First 
the  blade,  then  the  ear,  then  the  full  corn  in  the  ear." 
So  goes  the  argument  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of 
Corinthians.  Who  will  stand  up  and  dispute  any  of 
these  points  with  St.  Paul? 

Here,  then,  are  three  facts  about  death  practically 
beyond  controversy.  Death  is  the  liberator  of  life; 
death  is  the  revealer  of  hfe;  death  is  the  enlarger  of 
life.  Take  these  facts  and  set  them  down  beside 
human  life   and  behold  the  wonderful  harmony  of 


What  Is  Death?  235 

God's  universe.  Take  Jesus,  for  instance,  the  first 
fruit,  the  only  tangible  example  thus  far  of  life  in  its 
larger  aspect  and  as  it  is  finally  to  be  brought  to  light. 
Did  not  Death  liberate,  reveal  and  enlarge  the  life  of 
Jesus?  For  thirty-three  years  the  Son  of  God  was 
bound  by  every  human  limitation  known  to  man. 
Evidently  it  is  hard  to  appraise  even  God  Almighty 
when  He  condescends  to  wrap  Himself  in  time-bound 
and  space-bound  humanity.  So  long  as  Christ  wore 
a  body  such  as  ours  He,  too,  was  misunderstood,  mis- 
judged and  maligned.  How  often  I  have  pondered 
over  this.  What  a  comfort  it  has  been  on  occasion  to 
lift  my  eyes  and  to  say,  "Dear  God-man,  you  know 
all  about  it,  don't  you?  You  know  our  frame,  you 
remember  that  we  are  dust-stained  pilgrims  plodding 
onward  and  upward.  Let  me  but  take  your  hand,  O 
blessed  fellow  traveler,  and  I  shall  feel  within  me  the 
growing  thrills  of  an  enlarging  life." 

Now  these  observations  are  not  only  in  harmony 
with  what  Jesus  has  revealed  of  life  hereafter  but  they 
are  also  in  perfect  accord  with  what  is  known  of  life 
here.  Judging  from  the  segment  of  human  life  that 
falls  within  our  purview,  man  has  three  lives  to  live. 
Twice  he  lives  this  side  the  grave  and  once  beyond. 
And  the  remarkable  thing  about  the  two  lives  here  is 
that  they  are  identical  in  one  respect,  at  least.  In  both 
experiences  it  is  a  life  of  development,  of  preparation. 
In  the  one  life  we  are  getting  ready  for  the  next.  In 
the  prenatal  life  feet  and  hands  are  forming,  but  there 
are  no  paths  to  walk,  and  no  work  to  perform.  Eyes 
are  forming  but  there  is  no  light,  no  perspective.  Ears 
are  forming  but  no  sound  is  to  be  heard.     It  is  an 


236  The  Meaning  of  Life 

isolated  world,  a  dark  world,  a  world  without  task,  a 
world  without  thoroughfare.  It  is  a  life  of  prepara- 
tion, pure  and  simple.  Then  comes  that  crisis  of  con- 
sciousness— ^birth.  With  a  cry,  less  of  pain  than  of 
instinctive  longing  for  welcome  and  for  love,  we  pass 
out  of  a  world  of  darkness  into  a  world  of  alternate 
light  and  darkness.  Here  we  open  our  eyes  to  find  that 
they  have  been  forming  for  a  purpose.  Tiny  hands 
reach  out  and  there  are  the  waiting  arms  of  affection 
ready  to  receive  us.  Nor  does  the  evolution  stop  here. 
It  proceeds  with  increasing  interest  and  larger  and 
more  intelligible  motive.  We  walk,  we  handle,  we 
talk,  we  reason,  we  reach  up  after  that  which  lies  far 
beyond  time  and  space  and  physical  perception.  Thus 
we  use  all  of  the  attributes  which  had  been  developing 
in  the  first  life,  and  each  exertion  is  a  revelation  of 
latent  possibilities,  a  prophecy  of  more  to  follow.  So 
I  cannot  but  believe  that  when  we  come  to  our  second 
birth  we  shall  find  some  one  looking  forward  to  our 
advent  there  with  greater  expectation,  with  more 
yearning  solicitude. 

"Continued  in  our  next"  is  written  clear  and  large  at 
the  close  of  each  succeeding  chapter  of  life.  We  pick 
up  a  book.  The  book  doesn't  go  far  enough.  We 
go  to  the  teacher  but  the  teacher  doesn't  know  enough. 
We  get  down  on  our  knees  and  our  knees  do  not  carry 
us  far  enough.  We  knock  and  knock,  as  though  we 
would  say,  *'Let  me  out !  Let  me  out !  I'm  a  prisoner. 
This  cell  is  too  small.  I  must  have  air."  We  reach 
up  after  God  and  we  say,  "Where  is  He?"  We  peer 
into  the  dark  recesses  of  the  earth  and  spread  the 


What  Is  Death?  237 

wings  of  vision.  All  the  while  faith  is  developing, 
sight  is  growing  and  hearing  is  becoming  more  acute. 
In  fact,  we  put  on  faculties  and  powers  in  this  life 
which  we  cannot  use  here.  God  is  getting  us  ready  for 
another  birth.  Then  comes  another  crisis  and  dark- 
ness again.  We  pass  into  the  shadows,  then  out  of  a 
world  of  alternate  light  and  darkness  and  into  a  world 
of  all  light  and  no  darkness.  We  awake  in  His  like- 
ness. We  arrive  at  the  goal — even  life  everlasting, 
Amen  and  Amen. 

Now,  my  friend,  if  we  know  so  much  about  the 
first  life  and  the  second  life  why  should  we  not  have 
the  fullest  confidence  in  the  third  life?  Everything 
we  know  about  ourselves  tallies  with  all  that  we  know 
about  plants  and  trees.  Everywhere  we  turn  our  eyes 
the  sequence  is  the  same;  death  is  the  liberator  of  Ufe, 
the  revealer  of  life,  the  expander  of  life. 

At  this  point  some  one  is  asking,  **Why  is  it  then 
that  this  fear  grips  my  heart  when  I  think  of  death?" 
That  is  easy  to  explain.  The  Bible  ascribes  a  very 
good  reason.  Sin  has  put  a  sting  into  death.  Flowers 
are  not  afraid  to  die.  Animals  are  not  afraid  to  die. 
The  little  worm  that  wraps  itself  in  its  cocoon 
is  not  afraid  to  die.  Why?  Because  flowers 
and  animals  are  conscious  of  no  willful  de- 
parture from  the  Creator's  plan  for  each  life.  If 
nature  could  speak  it  would  be  after  some  such  fashion 
as  this :  'Toving  Gardener,  you  made  me  a  palm  and  a 
palm  I  will  be.  You  made  me  a  lily;  I  would  neither 
smell  like  a  violet  nor  look  like  a  sunflower." 

On  the  other  hand  man  is  filled  with  a  thousand  and 


238  The  Meaning  of  Life 

one  misgivings.  For  he  has  taken  his  Ufe  into  his  own 
hand  in  a  proud  spirit  of  self-determinism :  "Lord,  I 
know  you.  You  are  a  hard  master.  You  reap  where 
you  have  not  sown,  and  gather  where  you  have  not 
planted.  I  have  a  mind  of  my  own.  What  I  choose  to 
be  is  what  I  have  a  right  to  be.  I  know  better  than 
any  one  else,  not  excepting  Almighty  God,  what  is  best 
for  me.  And  what  is  more,  I  know  a  shorter  cut,  a 
more  expeditious  way  to  the  goal  of  being.  I  am  the 
master  of  my  soul,  I  am  the  architect  of  my  fate." 
Because  of  this  cold  finality  a  chilling  fear  grips  the 
heart  as  the  shadows  lengthen. 

In  view  of  the  circumstances  this  fear  element  be- 
comes an  added  hint  of  something  beyond.  It  brings 
tears  to  my  eyes  as  I  think  of  the  vast  multitudes  of 
good,  bad  and  indifferent  people  who  go  on  stumbling 
over  these  shadows  upon  the  ground,  never  realizing 
that  the  sunlight  which  casts  them  is  an  instinct  in 
them  reflected  from  Him  who  said,  "As  I  Hve  so  ye 
shall  live  also.''  Sin  disturbs  the  natural  order  and 
thwarts  the  will  of  God.  Therefore  the  sting  of  death 
is  sin. 

I  have  talked  with  hundreds  who  have  admitted, 
often  reluctantly,  that  something  put  them  out  of  touch 
with  God  before  their  misgivings  concerning  the  be- 
yond took  shape.  They  could  almost  name  the  moment 
when  the  fear  of  death  laid  its  chilling  hand  upon 
them.  To  be  sure,  this  is  not  always  the  reason.  Not 
infrequently  people  of  reverent  faith  and  exemplary 
lives  are  afflicted  by  a  fear-guest,  the  origin  of  which 
is  not  easy  to  trace.  Whatever  the  cause  here  is  the 
point  of  absorbing  interest :  there  is  a  cure. 


What  Is  Death?  239 

"The  sting  of  death  is  sin,  but  thanks  be  to  God 
who  giveth  us  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  The  man  who  wrote  thus  spoke  from  blessed 
experience.  Once  he  was  a  murderer,  consenting  unto 
the  death  of  the  innocent.  As  a  murderer  on  a  grand 
scale  he  set  out  from  Damascus  breathing  threat- 
enings  and  slaughter  against  such  as  believed  that  God 
raises  souls  as  a  farmer  raises  corn.  The  matter  had 
been  discussed  pro  and  con  for  no  one  knows  how 
long,  and  the  thing  was  preposterous  upon  its  face. 
God  graciously  produced  the  living  evidence  before  he 
arrived.  Saul  was  convinced,  in  sheer  defeat  achiev- 
ing the  greatest  victory  of  Hfe.  **0  death,  where  is 
thy  sting?  O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory?  The  sting 
of  death  is  sin,  but  thanks  be  to  God  who  giveth  us 
the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  And  this 
victory,  my  friend,  will  surely  be  yours — if  you  accept 
the  evidential  value  of  Christ,  the  first  fruit  of  the 
raising. 

"All  that  religion  says  is  unproved,  all  that  science 
says  is  disproved,  so  there  you  are,"  says  one  writer. 
Nevertheless,  is  it  not  true  that  both  science  and  re- 
ligion have  profoundly  modified  our  views  of  death. 
In  superstitious  ages  it  was  regarded  as  a  tragic 
catastrophe.  Brighter  days,  however,  have  dawned 
and  we  now  see  death  as  part  of  that  great  stirring 
of  life  called  for  convenience  the  divine  order  of 
nature. 

I  close  with  an  incident  in  which  I  read  many  things, 
for  flowers  are  truly  the  alphabet  of  hearts.  A  mem- 
ber of  my  congregation  presented  me  with  a  beautiful 


240  The  Meaning  of  Life 

lilac  bush  shortly  after  my  honored  father  slipped 
away  to  seek  and  to  find  the  door  to  the  Father's 
house.  It  was  dressed  with  ribbons  and  all  the  cus- 
tomary finery  of  the  Easter  season.  Said  I,  "Wife, 
we  must  take  this  to  our  summer  home  and  we  will 
plant  it  beside  the  front  porch.''  We  did  so,  but  sad 
to  relate  the  flowers  and  leaves  dropped  off.  Through- 
out the  summer  we  endeavored  to  nurse  the  plant  back 
to  life  without  success.  I  finally  dug  it  up  and  cast 
it  into  the  Lake.  One  day  the  following  summer  my 
wife  came  rushing  up  from  behind  the  boathouse 
crying,  "Come  here!  Come  here!"  I  went.  And 
would  you  believe  it,  there  was  my  lilac  bush  growing. 
The  bleak  winds,  buffeting  waves  and  thick  ice  floes 
of  winter  had  taken  the  discarded  plant  and  literally 
planted  it  among  the  rocks  on  shore  with  the  com- 
mand, "Live !  Live !"  Very  tenderly  I  dug  it  up  and 
carried  it  to  a  place  of  conspicuous  honor  where  it 
tosses  its  plumed  head  to  this  day. 

I  have  a  feeling  that  I  am  looking  into  the  hearts 
of  many  who  have  felt  themselves  forever  dead  in 
trespasses  and  sins  and  wholly  cast  aside.  Once  they 
bloomed  in  some  garden  of  the  Lord.  Perhaps  some 
one  was  unkind  enough  to  say,  "You  are  a  pretty 
Christian."  Perhaps  some  minister  was  unkind 
enough  to  say,  "Well,  if  you  cannot  bring  more  glory 
and  credit  to  the  church  you  had  better  get  out." 
Possibly  some  soul-blight  destroyed  the  early  fresh- 
ness of  life's  bloom,  striking  at  the  very  roots  of 
spiritual  being.  Then  came  a  wrench,  as  death  robbed 
you  of  a  cherished  idol.  And  anon  you  found  your- 
self adrift.     Winters  have  chilled  you,  winds  of  doc- 


What  Is  Deathf  241 

trine  have  blown  you  hither  and  yon.  At  last  you  find 
yourself  cast  upon  what  is  to  some  a  forbidding  shore 
of  rock-bound  Calvinism.  But  who  knows  but  that 
all  this  experience  may  have  been  a  means  of  grace. 
At  any  rate,  as  a  minister  of  the  risen  Christ,  I  would 
plant  you  again  in  that  garden  where,  other  things  to 
the  contrary  notwithstanding,  the  purest  and  sweetest 
flowers  of  faith  and  peace  and  love  have  ever  bloomed. 
May  I  not  plant  you,  dear  friend,  where  your  life  may 
develop  under  the  warmth  of  God  until  death  comes 
to  liberate,  reveal  and  multiply  your  life? 

"That  which  thou  sowest  is  not  made  alive  except 
it  die." 


XXII 

MATHEMATICAL  CERTAINTY  OF 
IMMORTALITY 

Profound  problems  may  be  approached  in  two 
ways.  One  may  begin  with  the  mystery  and  work 
backward;  denying  the  facts  until  the  mystery  is  re- 
solved. Or,  one  may  begin  with  the  facts  and  work 
forward,  holding  the  mystery  in  abeyance  as  bit  by  bit 
the  evidence  is  assembled.  Of  the  two,  the  latter  is 
the  rational  and  scientific  method.  Facts  are  the  lad- 
ders with  which  we  scale  the  heights. 

By  the  scientific  method,  every  problem  of  religion 
is  negotiable,  to  a  greater  or  less  degree.  All  would 
be  well  with  our  religious  thinking  were  this  method 
of  approach  in  universal  use.  Which  unfortunately 
is  not  the  case. 

Take  the  problem  of  immortality,  for  example. 
Approached  from  the  mystery  end  it  presents  insuper- 
able difficulties.  The  more  we  delve  into  the  mystery 
the  more  clouded  and  the  more  intellectually  uncertain 
becomes  the  fact.  Approached  from  the  fact  end, 
however,  difficulties  dissolve  one  by  one  as  to  an 
ancient  and  intuitive  belief  in  personal  continuity 
are  added  in  turn  the  concrete  fact  of  a  risen  Christ, 
the  physiological  facts  of  biology,  and  the  mathe- 
matical facts  embraced  in  the  discoveries  of  chemistry 
and  the  deductions  of  philosophy. 

Our  immediate  interest  is  the  more  recent  evidence 
242 


Mathematical  Certainty  243 

of  a  life  beyond  furnished  by  chemistry.  The  giant 
strides  taken  by  this  lusty  science  have  led  unprejudiced 
scholars  to  assume  a  new  attitude  of  friendly  open- 
mindedness  toward  Biblical  revelations,  an  attitude 
reflected  in  the  declaration  of  a  certain  chemist  who 
gives  this  as  his  view:  '*I  believe  the  Bible  because 
every  material  statement  within  its  pages  which  can 
be  checked  against  known  chemical  laws  tallies  exactly 
when  taken  literally."  Those  of  us  who  have  long 
"hoped  for  that  we  see  not"  are  under  great  obliga- 
tion to  these  men  of  science  who  are  now  helping  us 
to  see  that  for  which  we  had  only  hoped. 

Reserving  the  text  of  this  sermon  as  a  fitting  con- 
clusion, let  us  premise  it  with  a  few  mathematical  cer- 
tainties. And,  I  begin  with  a  formula  which  looks 
more  or  less  familiar,  at  least  to  the  college-bred. 

2H2  +  O2  =  2H2O 

Here  ''H"  stands  for  hydrogen  and  "O"  for 
oxygen,  two  of  the  simplest  elements  in  the  universe 
and  the  most  common.  Hydrogen  is  a  colorless,  taste- 
less, odorless  gas ;  the  lightest  of  all  known  substances. 
Oxygen  is  as  colorless,  tasteless  and  intangible,  yet; 
upon  it  depends  our  very  existence.  It  forms  23%? 
of  the  atmosphere.  By  weight  it  constitutes  %  of  the 
water  of  the  globe,  and  V2  of  the  rocks  and  earth 
crust.  We  breathe  it,  drink  it,  navigate  it,  and  lave 
ourselves  in  it. 

Translated  into  terms  of  common  understanding 
this  formula  simply  records  the  fact  that  when,  in  the 
laboratory,  two  parts    (gram  molecules)   of  invisible 


244  The  Meaning  of  Life 

and  intangible  hydrogen  (H2)  were  confined  in  a  glass 
container  with  one  part  (gram  molecule)  of  invisible 
and  intangible  oxygen  (O2)  and  subjected  to  an 
electric  spark,  they  instantly  combined  to  form  two 
parts  of  visible  and  tangible  water  (something  dif- 
ferent from  either.)  Any  one  anywhere  may  perform 
the  same  experiment  in  another  way  and  for  himself 
by  lighting  an  oil  lamp  and  observing  the  moisture 
collect  upon  the  chimney. 

This  formula  has  stood  for  almost  a  century  as  the 
mathematical  embodiment  of  complete  and  final  knowl- 
edge. Chemists  supposed  that  it  told  the  whole  story 
of  the  experiment.  When,  lo  and  behold,  along  came 
chemist  Joules  who  said  in  substance,  "Gentlemen,  your 
equation  is  most  incomplete,  for  the  reason  that  it 
takes  no  account  of  the  most  important  factor,  namely 
the  electric  energy  required  to  effect  the  combination 
that  gave  you  the  water.  Now,  that  energy  was  con- 
siderable— so  great  in  fact  as  often  to  explode  the  con- 
tainer. I  have  taken  the  trouble  to  ascertain  the  exact 
amount  of  energy  required  to  produce  two  parts  of 
water  from  hydrogen  and  oxygen  which  I  find  to  be 
293,000  units." 

This  contribution  of  Professor  Joules  was  considered 
such  a  valuable  addition  to  the  sum  total  of  exact 
science  that  by  general  consent  the  discoverer's  name 
was  forever  linked  up  with  the  discovery  and  the 
energy  factor  of  the  equation  is  therefore  designated 
as  293,000  J  (Joules)  and  the  formula  has  been  cor- 
rected to  read: 

2H2  +  02  =  2H2O  +  293,000  J 


Mathematical  Certainty  245 

And  thus  the  formula  remained,  complete  and  final, 
as  was  supposed — until — Professor  Charles  P.  Stein- 
metz  came  forward  with  a  further  correction  to  this 
effect :  'The  equation  is  still  incomplete.  Something 
more  than  energy  was  required  to  produce  your  two 
parts  of  water.  It  was  mind  that  conceived  the  pos- 
sibility of  so  combining  hydrogen  and  oxygen.  Mind 
caught  and  harnessed  the  293,000  wild  horses  of 
electric  energy.  Mind  designed  the  glass  container 
and  confined  the  gases.  Surely  the  creator  should  be 
given  a  place  of  honor  within  the  order  of  his  crea- 
tion. It  is  my  suggestion  that  mind  be  added  to  the 
formula,  to  be  designated  ''Entity  X."  It  was  done. 
So  the  exact  chemical  equation  is  now  written : 

2H2  +  O2  =  2H2O  +  293,000  J  +  X 

At  this  juncture  a  vastly  interested  onlooker  would 
make  a  suggestion.  It  may  have  merit;  it  may  have 
none.  But  I  make  bold  to  offer  it  for  whatever  it  is 
worth.  To  my  way  of  thinking  there  is  still  a  "wide 
gap"  in  the  structure  of  this  mathematical  formula, 
into  which  another  entity  might  well  be  fitted,  namely 
Personality — "Entity  P,"  if  you  please. 

"Personality  is  the  greatest  fact  in  the  universe," 
we  are  told  by  those  assuming  to  know.  Personality 
is  the  master  of  mind.  True,  in  times  past  it  was 
thought  that  the  brain  secreted  thoughts  as  the  liver 
secretes  bile.  But  it  is  now  well  understood  that  the 
brain  possesses  nothing  which  has  not  been  supplied  by 
personality.  Supplied,  in  truth,  as  books  are  supplied 
for  a  library,  also  catalogued  and  arranged  upon  the 


246  The  Meaning  of  Life 

brain-shelves  as  various  volumes  are  set  in  orderly  and 
in  get-at-able  array  by  an  experienced  librarian.  No 
mind  could  have  conceived  and  executed  the  amazing 
sequence  represented  in  the  formula  before  us  apart 
from  "Entity  P."  Of  this  we  are  reasonably  certain. 
So  I  venture  to  add  'T"  and  to  re-write  the  formula : 

2H2  +  02  =  2H2O  4-  293,000}  +  X  +  P 


What  has  all  this  to  do  with  immortaHty?  Much 
every  way.  We  are  just  getting  around  to  the  most 
interesting  and  illuminating  part  of  this  lesson  in 
"higher"  mathematics. 

How  much  of  the  equation  before  us  embodies  the 
principle  of  immortality,  think  you?  Answer:  the 
entire  formula.  Hydrogen,  oxygen  and  water  are 
matter — which,  we  are  told,  is  indestructible  although 
capable  of  innumerable  changes  in  form  forward  and 
backward.  Decay  of  matter  is  not  annihilation.  It  is 
deliverance.  The  more  the  atom  is  ''destroyed"  the 
more  dynamic  appears  to  be  its  life.  When  at  last  it 
becomes  a  disembodied  Electron  it  proves  to  be  well- 
nigh  omnipotent.  Indeed  fear  is  already  expressed  that 
if  the  atom  is  subjected  to  much  further  "decay"  it 
may  blow  us  all  to  atoms. 

Energy,  they  tell  us,  is  likewise  indestructible.  When 
the  flame  is  "out"  it  does  not  follow  that  it  is  lost 
forever.  The  spark  is  lurking  about  somewhere,  and 
may  be  recalled  at  will.  Professor  Steinmetz  declares, 
"The  293,000  J  of  energy  in  the  equation  may  re- 
appear as  heat,  or  as  electrical  energy,  or  as  a  com- 
bination of  heat,  hght,  sound,  mechanical  energy,  etc." 


Mathematical  Certainty         247 

Mind,  too,  is  illimitable.  The  consciousness  of  its 
own  limitations  (paradoxical  as  it  may  seem)  proves 
this  conclusively.  'Tor  it  is  to  be  observed  that  such 
consciousness  would  be  impossible  if  these  limitations 
were  in  their  nature  absolute.  The  imprisoning  bars 
which  we  feel  so  much  and  against  which  we  so  often 
beat  in  vain,  are  bars  which  could  not  be  felt  at  all  un- 
less there  were  something  in  us  which  seeks  a  wider 
scope.  It  is  as  if  these  bars  were  a  limit  of  opportunity 
rather  than  a  boundary  of  power.  No  absolute  limit- 
ation of  mental  faculty  ever  is,  or  ever  could  be,  felt 
by  the  creatures  whom  it  affects.  In  our  process  of 
thinking  we  are  perpetually  encountering  some  mental 
barrier  through  which  we  cannot  break  and  over  which 
we  cannot  see.  And  yet  we  know  it  and  feel  it  to  be 
a  barrier  and  nothing  more.  We  stop  in  front  of  it 
not  because  we  are  satisfied,  but  because  it  bars  our 
way." 

As  for  personality,  it  is  "the  first  bit  of  reality  we 
indubitably  know,"  as  it  is  the  last.  The  stream  of 
self -awareness  was  found  flowing  when  we  opened  our 
eyes  to  time  and  it  continues  flowing  as  we  close  them. 
At  the  grave,  when  self-consciousness  becomes  a  lost 
river,  its  current  is  known  to  be  deeper,  broader  and 
swifter  than  at  the  cradle.  Moreover,  upon  its  bosom 
are  observed  the  flora  and  fauna  of  an  undiscovered 
realm  of  personal  consciousness  and  communion.  Per- 
sonality is  life's  greatest  certainty.  Personality  is  so 
great  an  "Entity"  that  there  is  no  room  for  it  in  brain 
or  in  brawn.  It  overflows  both.  It  is  owing  to  the 
instinctive  recognition  that  the  real  self  in  us  is  other 
than  and  bigger  than  the  perishable  flesh  and  blood, 


248  The  Meaning  of  Life 

that  all  mankind  has  believed  in  personal  immortality. 
"This  fixed  conviction  is  so  universal  in  the  human 
race  that  it  is  as  generic  as  the  faculty  of  speech  itself.'* 

Assembling  all  of  these  known  facts,  as  well  as  the 
yet  unknown,  in  an  enlarged  formula,  we  have  some- 
thing that  looks  like  pretty  conclusive  circumstantial 
evidence.  (We  are  looking  up,  so  read  the  formula 
from  the  lower  line  upward). 

I  Larger  values  in  The  Qreat  Unknown  I 


INDICATING 


± 


o4U  pointing  in  the  same  direction— CONTINUANCE 


t 


MATTER 

Indestructible 


ENERGY 

Indestructible 


MIND 

Illimitable 


EGO 

Persistent 


Since  chemistry,  physics,  philosophy  and  religion 
have  kept  step  to  this  extent  why  should  they  not  take 
the  final  stride  of  faith  together?  Is  not  sufficient 
prima  facie  evidence  in  hand  to  justify  the  largest  pos- 
sible investment  in  futurity f  If  reason  were  dealing 
with  worldly  matters  we  know  perfectly  well  that  there 
would  be  little  or  no  hesitation.  Why,  then,  in  spirit- 
ual matters  ? 

Suppose  the  area  marked  "unknown'*  were 
marked  "oil."  If  as  many  facts  appeared  to  justify 
the  hopes  and  expectations  of  prospectors  in,  let  us  say, 
the  meadows  contiguous  to  this  city,  think  you  there 
would  be  little  plunging  in  the  oil  market,  little  activity 
in  New  Jersey  real  estate? 

Here  is  the  way  we  reason  in  all  things  mundane. 


Mathematical  Certainty         249 

This  story  is  told  of  a  high-salaried  expert  who  has 
been  connected  with  the  Standard  Oil  Company  almost 
from  the  time  of  its  small  beginnings.  One  Sabbath 
morning  he  visited  a  well-known  Men's  Bible  Class, 
connected  with  an  important  New  York  church,  where 
he  heard  something  that  set  in  motion  a  train  of 
thought  which  to  him  seemed  well  worth  a  follow-up. 
The  lesson  "Moses  in  the  Bulrushes'*  was  expounded 
by  the  regular  teacher,  a  well-known  member  of  the  oil 
fraternity.  At  the  conclusion,  the  stranger  made  his 
way  to  the  front,  introduced  himself  as  the  long-time 
friend  of  the  teacher's  father,  and  then  inquired,  "Is 
the  story  you  have  discussed  to  be  taken  literally?" 

"Of  course!     Of  course!"  came  the  prompt  reply. 

"Where,  then,  may  I  ask,  did  they  get  the  pitch  for 
the  ark  of  bulrushes?  You  see,  pitch  means  petro- 
leum and  petroleum  is  my  specialty." 

To  abbreviate  a  long,  though  interesting  story,  an 
expedition  was  despatched  to  Egypt  to  investigate,  not- 
withstanding a  world  war  then  in  progress,  with  the 
result  that  the  most  productive  oil  fields  in  the  world, 
except  Mexico,  have  been  opened  up  in  the  land  of 
Goshen.  You  see,  it  pays  to  follow  through  on  es- 
tablished facts.  The  more  so,  when  they  project  the 
thought,  the  achievement  and  the  ego  into  a  realm  of 
inexhaustible  values  and  everlasting  verities. 

Pitching  an  ark  of  grass  is  nothing,  by  way  of  evi- 
dence, when  compared  with  pitching  the  harmony  of 
the  universe  to  the  note  of  "indestructibility."  This 
single  circumstance  is  so  weighty  that  it  simply  cannot 
be  treated  lightly  by  any  one,  least  of  all  by  one  who 
would  be  loyal  to  the  scientific  method.     Chemist  and 


250  The  Meaning  of  Life 

philosopher  have  supplied  us  with  pretty  good  ground 
for  the  faith  that  is  in  us.  They  have  made  the  in- 
credible credible,  the  incomprehensible  understandable. 
They  have  confirmed  all  the  long  cherished  Christian 
views  as  to  the  larger  aspects  of  life. 

And  at  the  point  where  science  confronts  the  widest 
gap  in  the  structure  of  connected  and  certain  thinking 
(namely  the  grave)  God  has  inserted  the  section  of 
evidence  needed  to  complete  the  span — that  indispu- 
table fact  of  the  risen  Christ.  The  self-conscious  sur- 
vival of  the  personal  Jesus  is  the  keystone  that  secures 
the  juncture  of  scientific  demonstration  and  deduction 
with  Divine  revelation.  The  bridge  of  evidence  thus 
formed  furnishes  trustworthy  footing  for  all  who 
would  explore  the  future  with  the  view  of  making 
enduring  investments. 

We  come  now  to  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter, 
as  summed  up  in  the  fifth  chapter  of  First  John,  verses 
nine,  eleven,  twelve  and  thirteen.  "If  we  receive  the 
testimony  of  men,  the  testimony  of  God  is  greater. 
And  this  is  the  testimony,  that  God  hath  given  us  life 
eternal,  and  this  life  is  in  His  Son.  He  who  possesses 
the  Son  (Keystone  of  the  arch  of  certainty)  possesses 
life.  I  have  written  all  this  to  you  in  order  that  you 
who  believe  in  the  name  of  the  Son  of  God  may  know 
for  certain  (Weymouth  translation)  (Moffat  transla- 
tion renders  it  "may  be  sure")  that  you  already  have 
life  eternal." 

I  counsel  thee,  friend,  to  remove  the  question  mark 
from  the  equation  of  life  and  stake  out  a  claim  for  thy- 
self in  "The  Great  Unknown." 


XXIII 
WHAT  IS  RESURRECTION? 

*'God  giveth  it  a  body  as  it  hath  pleased  Him, 
and  to  every  seed  his  own  body;  so  also  is  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead/'  1  Corinthians  15  : 
38,  42. 

Be  it  remembered  that  we  are  to  consider  not  im- 
mortality but  resurrection.  Immortality  is  a  philo- 
sophical doctrine.  Resurrection  is  a  Christian  revela- 
tion. Immortality  was  elucidated  by  Plato  five  hun- 
dred years  before  the  Christian  era.  It  was  the  ac- 
cepted philosophy  of  Egypt  five  thousand  years  or 
more  before  Christ.  Resurrection  is  the  distinctive 
tenet  of  Christianity. 

Resurrection — exactly  what  do  we  mean  by  this  trea- 
sured word?  ^'Resurrection"  is  an  agricultural  term. 
It  has  to  do  with  cultivation.  Spiritually  speaking 
it  is  more  than  immortality;  more  than  mere  continu- 
ity ;  more  than  mere  repetition.  Resurrection  is  evolu- 
tion raised  to  the  nth  power.  It  is  a  means  whereby 
an  end  is  attained.  It  is  God's  method  of  accomplish- 
ing a  definite  purpose.  It  is  the  highway  which  human 
life  takes  in  its  journey  toward  full  realization. 

God  is  raising  men  as  the  farmer  raises  wheat. 
Such  a  concept  was  unknown  among  the  ancients. 
This  sublime  fact  was  first  revealed,  then  demonstrated 

251 


252  The  Meaning  of  Life 

by  Jesus.  With  a  single  stroke  of  divine  revelation  He 
rewrote  eschatology,  gave  new  embodiment  to  im- 
mortality, imparted  new  meaning  and  incentive  to 
mortality  and  opened  up  new  vistas  in  human  per- 
sonality. At  once  the  eager  question  was  upon  every 
lip,  *'How  are  the  dead  raised  up  and  with  what  manner 
of  body  do  they  come  forth?" 

The  answer  was  categorical,  simple,  conclusive. 
By  the  happy  choice  of  a  simile  Paul  disclosed  the 
naturalness  of  the  supernatural.  "God  giveth  it  a 
body,  and  to  every  seed  a  body  of  its  own.*'  He 
obviously  wished  to  disabuse  the  mind  of  the  common 
notion  that  "resurrection"  is  a  miracle.  I  think  of  all 
human  incrustations  this  is  one  of  the  most  pernicious. 
How  the  notion  originated  I  have  been  unable  to  dis- 
cover. To  the  great  apostle  of  the  doctrine  resurrec- 
tion was  a  profound  "mystery"  but  it  was  no  miracle. 
A  miracle  is  exactly  what  resurrection  is  not.  It 
belongs  not  to  the  realm  of  magic  but  to  a  natural 
order.  This  has  been  driven  home  with  simple  but 
convincing  logic. 

The  comprehensive  chapter  in  which  our  text  occurs 
is  a  treatise  on  soul-raising.  It  is  what  one  might  call 
the  natural  history  of  a  rising  soul.  There  is  delight- 
ful suggestiveness  in  this  seed  figure.  By  turning  it 
over  in  our  minds  for  a  few  moments  perhaps  a  few 
coveted  nuggets  of  truth  will  come  to  light. 

The  obvious  teaching  is  that  God  plants  an  immortal 
spirit  in  time  with  the  thought  of  growing  a  particular 
kind  of  body  for  eternity.  Such  an  idea  is  certainly 
not    in    conflict    with    the    general    trend    of    things. 


What  Is  Resurrection^  253 

Throughout  the  universe,  wherever  the  presence  of 
Spirit  is  observable  it  is  growing  a  body.  So  far  as  we 
know  there  is  no  naked  Spirit  anywhere.  We  cannot 
conceive  of  conscious  spirit  entirely  dissociated  from  a 
material  vehicle. 

As  John  Fisk  has  put  it,  ''It  plainly  appears  that  our 
notion  of  the  survival  of  conscious  activity  apart  from 
material  conditions  is  not  only  unsupported  by  any 
evidence  that  can  be  gathered  from  the  world  of  which 
we  have  experience,  but  is  utterly  and  hopelessly  incon- 
ceivable." 

Evidently  spirit  exists  for  a  purpose.  All  life  and 
every  life  appears  to  be  a  plan  of  God.  What  though 
the  human  spirit  rebel  against  that  plan,  which  is  its 
inalienable  right,  the  rule  is  established  so  much  the 
more.  Wherever  life  is  observed  it  is  the  same, 
whether  in  human  body  or  plant  body.  No  sooner 
does  it  come  into  being  than  it  addresses  itself  to  the 
task  of  building  a  body  that  shall  be  a  body  of  its  own. 

Every  excursion  which  we  have  been  privileged  to 
make  into  the  microscopic  world  confirms  this.  Bi- 
ology is  a  most  friendly  realm.  Even  the  mere 
tourist  here  feels  at  home,  there  is  such  an  instinctive 
sense  of  kinship  with  the  natives.  To  watch  the 
small  life-cell  build  its  body  is  like  viewing  oneself  in 
a  mirror.  One  would  suppose  that  these  cells  had 
studied  theology.  Evidently  they  believe  in  the  doc- 
trine of  the  trinity.  As  soon  as  a  life-cell  comes  into 
being  it  proceeds  to  break  up  into  three  sub-cells,  each 
striking  out  in  its  own  way  to  do  a  particular  thing. 
As  though  belonging  to  various  labor  unions,  with  hard 
and  fast  rules,  each  third  works  at  a  definite  trade, 


254  The  Meaning  of  Life 

refusing  to  do  the  work  which  God  has  employed  an- 
other third  to  do.  One  third  does  all  the  structural 
work.  Another  third  does  the  shingling  and  weather- 
boarding.  Another  third  looks  after  the  plumbing  and 
wiring.  Thus  the  spirit  house  grows  day  by  day 
*'being  fitly  joined  together  and  compacted  by  that 
which  every  joint  supplieth  according  to  the  effectual 
working  in  the  measure  of  every  part."  And  there  are 
few  strikes,  but  when  they  do  occur,  and  a  life  cell 
becomes  a  rebel,  it  is  immediately  discharged  and  is 
cast  out  of  the  community. 

If  New  Testament  biology  is  trustworthy,  similar 
laws  operate  in  the  spiritual  world,  death  being  to  the 
spirit  cell  what  birth  is  to  the  physical  cell.  Although 
we  may  not  follow  the  process  in  the  former  case  as 
minutely  as  we  follow  it  in  the  latter,  we  may  reason- 
ably deduce  the  conclusion  that  things  which  are  equal 
to  the  same  thing  in  process  must  resemble  each  other 
in  program.    Which  is  the  gist  of  St.  Paul's  reasoning. 

Naturally,  the  pressing  question  will  always  be,  what 
sort  of  a  body  is  it  that  God  is  raising  out  of  the  spirits 
He  plants  down  here  ?  I  take  it,  He  has  planted  your 
spirit  and  mine  that  we  may  grow  to  be  obedient  and 
loving  children  capable  of  returning  His  affection  and 
willing  to  carry  out  the  Father's  will. 

Spirit  culture  is  more  difficult  than  horticulture.  It 
is  a  good  deal  harder  to  raise  children  than  to  raise 
flowers.  Plant  the  bulb  and  you  can  be  reasonably 
sure  it  will  come  up  a  lily.  But  with  spirit  you  have 
that  uncertain  quantity,  "free-will,"  to  reckon  with. 
As  every  parent  knows,  children  are  most  difficult  to 


What  Is  Resurrection?  255 

raise.  Spirit  children  rarely  say  with  the  flowers,  "V\\ 
be  what  you  want  me  to  be,  dear  Lord."  They  are 
more  likely  to  say,  *T  am  the  master  of  my  fate,  I  am 
the  captain  of  my  soul."  And  therein  lies  the  problem 
of  Providence,  which  I  have  neither  the  ability  nor  the 
desire  to  penetrate.  I  am  quite  satisfied  to  leave  that 
problem  in  the  hands  of  Him  who  said,  "If  God  so 
clothed  the  grass  of  the  field,  how  much  more  shall  He 
clothe  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith."  Of  this  much  we 
may  be  certain.  God  will  continue  to  move  heaven 
and  earth  until  man's  spirit  grows  the  body  that  He 
wants  it  to  grow,  the  body  of  a  loving,  dutiful  and 
obedient  child. 

An  equally  clear  teaching  of  this  seed  simile  is  that 
iQ,^ath_the_^in_t_is  transpk^  that  it  may  grow  a 
better  body  than  it  was  able  to  grow  in  this  life. 

A  lady  in  one  of  my  former  parishes  had  a  very 
wonderful  palm.  It  was  as  old  as  her  oldest  son,  who 
was  thirty-three  at  the  time  of  which  I  speak.  She 
had  grown  this  palm  in  the  house  and,  fortunately  for 
it,  the  house  was  a  large,  old-fashioned  mansion.  It 
was  a  double  house  with  a  broad  hall  running  the  length 
of  the  second  floor.  There  the  palm  had  always  stood. 
One  day  I  was  commenting  upon  its  size  and  beauty 
and  my  hostess  remarked,  "Yes,  it's  a  fine  old  member 
of  the  family,  but  it  has  grown  too  big  for  the  house." 
Which  was  evident,  for  it  touched  the  ceiling  and  swept 
the  windows  in  front  and  the  walls  upon  either  side. 
That  summer  a  hothouse  was  built  especially  for  the 
palm.  But  the  transplanting  killed  it.  The  reason 
assigned  was  that  the  atmosphere  and  intense  light  of 


256  The  Meaning  of  Life 

the  special  house  were  too  much  for  a  plant  that  be- 
longed strictly  in  a  dark  upper  hall. 

Now  such  is  not  the  correct  portrayal  of  death's 
transplanting.  Resurrection  does  not  lift  the  body  out 
of  an  old  environment  and  set  it  down  in  a  new  en- 
vironment to  which  it  is  not  adapted.  Yet  this  was 
the  very  point  of  original  misunderstanding.  The  re- 
surrection of  the  body  was  a  stumbling  block  to  Jews 
and  Greeks  because  they  so  conceived  death's  trans- 
planting. The  reconstruction  of  a  future  body  out  of 
the  original  elements  of  a  long-dissipated  body,  and 
the  reimprisonment  of  a  spirit  in  the  former  body  of 
its  humiliation  were  alike  inconceivable — and  seemed 
even  undesirable. 

Paul  meets  these  serious  objections  with  a  clear-cut 
restatement  of  the  resurrection  idea.  He  insists  that 
the  resurrection  of  the  body  is  not  a  reassembling  of 
the  component  parts  of  an  old  animal  body,  but  rather 
the  investiture  of  Spirit  in  a  spiritual  body,  a  new  body 
grown  by  the  Spirit  for  its  eternal  environment,  as  the 
old  body  was  grown  for  its  mortal  environment — in 
fine  a  body  of  its  own  for  a  place  of  its  own. 

This  world  is  too  small  to  grow  good  men  in.  The 
perfect  Jesus  did  not  find  this  world  big  enough  to 
permit  His  Spirit  to  produce  a  perfect  body.  On  earth 
this  perfect  Spirit  had  to  be  contented  with  a  very 
inadequate  body.  He  was  the  only  begotten  Son  of 
God,  He  returned  in  full  the  love  of  the  Father,  He 
sought  earnestly  to  do  the  Father's  will,  but  an  earthly 
body  handicapped  His  every  high  endeavor.  Then  He 
died  and  was  buried  and  rose  from  the  dead,  His  Spirit 


What  Is  Resurrection?  257 

clad  in  a  better  body — a  body  of  its  own.  Is  not  this 
in  brief  the  whole  glorious  story  of  the  Resurrection's 
iirst-^ruit  ?  _ 

It  is  reassuring  to  know  that  the  dead  are  not  ghosts 
any  more  than  the  living.  Christology  is  a  vast  im- 
provement upon  spookology.  God  isn't  raising 
spooks.  No,  that  is  the  devil's  business;  he  is  great 
on  witches,  on  spirits  that  peep  and  mutter.  God  is 
raising  children — little  creators  who  know  how  to  in- 
carnate themselves  in  utilitarian  form.  We  are  not 
to  go  out  into  eternity  unclothed,  but  clothed  upon — 
that  death  may  be  swallowed  up  in  victory.  Nowhere 
in  the  universe  is  the  Father  naked.  So  why  should 
His  children  go  naked?  God  promenades  the 
thoroughfares  of  time  and  space  clad  in  materials  and 
humanities.  He  weaves  for  Himself  fine  raiment  upon 
the  looms  of  nature.  He  jewels  His  diadem  with  stars. 
He  sandals  His  feet  with  service,  He  gloves  His  hands 
with  a  human  touch,  He  maketh  the  clouds  His  chariot. 
Wherever  visible  or  vocal  God  is  corporeal.  Else  what 
is  the  New  Testament  all  about  and  what  is  the  signifi- 
cance of  the  incarnation? 

I  come  now  to  the  comfort  of  the  text.  In  both 
growths  the  body  retains  rts  identity.  Oh,  heart  of 
mine,  be  glad,  Oh,  soul  of  mine,  rejoice.  I  am  not  to 
be  somebody  else  when  I  go  yonder.  There  is  no  possi- 
bility of  my  becoming  a  dog  or  a  cat.  My  text  dis- 
tinctly declares  that  God  gives  the  Spirit  a  body  as  it 
pleases  Him,  and  to  every  seed  a  body  of  its  own. 
God,  I  thank  Thee  for  that!  I  am  devoutly  thankful 
that  when  I  get  my  new  body  I  shall  be  myself,  I  shall 


258  The  Meaning  of  Life 

know  myself,  I  shall  recognize  other  selves  held 
dear  by  me.  I  am  glad  that  we  are  to  carry  our 
identity  across  the  silence  into  the  great  unknown.  In 
resurrection  there  is  no  loss  of  identity.  That  is 
clearly  the  teaching  of  the  text. 

This  transcendent  fact  has  apparently  escaped  the 
attention  of  those  who  believe  in  a  so-called  reincarn- 
ation. I  wonder  if  they  have  ever  studied  the  natural 
as  eagerly  as  they  study  the  supernatural.  Is  life 
universal  or  general?  It  is,  always  and  everywhere 
individual  and  particular.  You  will  look  in  vain  for 
any  exception.  Peer  down  the  microscope  into  the 
realm  where  the  infinitesimal  has  its  being.  Here  you 
will  find  bacteria  so  small  that  eight  million  of  them  can 
be  mobilized  upon  the  head  of  a  pin,  but  not  one  of 
these  billions  ever  merges  into  the  rest;  each  refuses 
absolutely  to  lose  its  identity.  Everywhere  you  look 
in  nature  the  story  is  the  same.  Life  is  never  general ; 
it  is  always  individual  and  particular.  Then  in  all 
love  and  reason,  where  do  we  get  the  idea  that  man, 
the  highest  order  of  life,  is  to  lose  his  identity  when 
he  grows  his  new  body?  Is  the  greater  life  less  than 
the  least? 

Yes,  we  are  to  be  ourselves.  Death  does  not  change 
the  nature  of  anything.  If  I  plant  a  grain  of  corn 
have  I  any  reason  to  believe  it  will  come  up  wheat?  If 
I  plant  an  angel  spirit  is  there  any  more  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  it  will  rise  an  angle-worm  or  worse?  By 
what  process  known  to  man  could  death  change  the 
nature  of  a  Spirit  ?  According  to  Paul  there  is  no  such 
process.  Things  grow  to  be  just  what  they  are. 
"Every  seed  its  own  body." 


What  Is  Resurrection^  259 

If  this  analogy  is  correct,  as  I  believe  it  is,  then  this 
follows :  God  would  be  defeated  if  there  were  no  re- 
surrection of  the  dead.  Which  is  precisely  the  conclu- 
sion at  which  Paul  arrived.  "If  the  dead  rise  not,  then 
is  our  preaching  vain  and  your  faith  is  vain  and  we  are 
X"?LiB  our  sins  and  we  are  even  false  witnesses  of  God 
if  the  dead  rise  not."  If  the  dead  rise  not  then  God  is 
defeated. 

It  is  unthinkable  that  God  would  set  out  to  build 
His  Kingdom  family  out  of  dead  children.  It  is  in- 
conceivable that  any  sane  farmer  would  plant  a  field 
of  grain  and  deliberately  pull  up  the  blades  as  fast  as 
they  attain  a  good  size  in  the  hope  of  thereby  securing 
a  bountiful  harvest.  The  sanity  of  the  Universe  is  a 
basilar  concept  of  sane  thinking. 

Does  any  one  imagine  that  a  wise  and  good  God 
would  permit  death  to  destroy  a  man  of  St.  Paul's 
gifts  and  powers?  Would  a  rational  God  allow  such 
a  man  as  Augustine  to  enter  the  grave  a  saint  and  rise 
therefrom  a  blade  of  grass  or  a  tree?  Would  a  loving 
God  permit  Lincoln  to  close  his  weary  eyelids  in  that 
last  sleep  to  open  them  again  only  upon  scenes  of  canine 
or  feline  reincarnation?  Can  it  be  that  Divine  wis- 
dom would  permit  an  infant  to  come  into  being,  a 
bundle  of  latent  possibilities,  only  to  be  snatched  away 
within  a  few  months  by  the  Destroyer  and  reduced 
to  a  baker's  dozen  of  elements  in  the  laboratory  of  the 
grave — its  life  an  unredeemed  promise,  an  unfulfilled 
destiny?  Think  of  your  mother  and  of  all  that  she 
was  to  you,  an  angel  of  heaven,  an  incarnation  of  God, 
a  daily  revelation  of  enlarging  love,  a  prophecy  to  the 
very  last  of  things  yet  to  be  realized.     Then  think  of  a 


260  The  Meaning  of  Life 

wisdom  that  would  dash  the  edifice  of  such  a  promise 
into  irredeemable  ruins.  I  say  think  of  it.  But  can 
you?  Can  you  imagine  such  a  waste  of  good  material, 
such  prodigal  insanity?  For  myself  I  cannot.  To 
believe  such  things  is  to  make  our  loving  Father  a  mad 
God.  Nay,  nay,  away  with  such  possibilities — there  is 
surely  more  to  life  than  this.  Immortality  and  res- 
urrection are  needed  to  make  a  life  that  is  worth 
living. 

With  all  my  being  I  believe  in  the  resurrection  of 
the  body.  I  confess  with  unblushing  candor  that  I  do 
not  know  how  this  great  triumph  is  to  be  accomplished. 
But  I  would  not  barter  the  consolations  of  the  Chris- 
tian's faith  for  any  vain  pride  at  knowing  how  God 
does  it.  Sufficient  for  me  that  through  the  mists  of 
unshed  tears  I  can  hear  His  voice :  "I  am  the  resurrec- 
tion and  the  Life;  as  I  live  ye  shall  live  also." 

In  a  word,  then,  immortality  is  the  power  whereby 
personality  is  preserved.  Resurrection  is  the  means 
whereby  individual  continuity  is  maintained,  identity 
is  preserved  and  the  variety  is  brought  to  perfection. 
Such  is  the  teaching  of  First  Corinthians  fifteen. 


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